


Subscribe

by anagentinwriting



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Angst, Car Accident, Drinking, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Hospitals, PG-13 situations, Podcast, alternative universe, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-05-12 09:55:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 52,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19226776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anagentinwriting/pseuds/anagentinwriting
Summary: (Modern!AU) Peter was your college sweetheart until a certain event led to your break up. Seven years later another event brings you two back together, but this time a little girl is in the picture. Will listening to your podcasts be the reason you two get back together or be another reason to keep you apart?





	1. Chapter 1

Peter tapped his foot as he listened to the new group talent Walkman Records was planning to sign. Natasha discovered The Revengers after watching their videos online realizing they had a distinct refreshing sound people would love. Val, their lead singer, could tell a story through her voice while her bandmates helped bring the story to life. Thor, a tall not so handsome guy, strummed the guitar, Heimdall beat on the bass, and Bruce played the drums. They were a great group of individuals, and he couldn’t wait to see where their career would take them.

Bucky sat beside Peter, listening to Val’s voice as he adjusted a few marks on the soundboard. Once he was satisfied, he leaned back in his chair to enjoy the rest of the song. Peter mouthed along to Val’s lyrics, getting lost in her song when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

“Mantis, I told you not to interrupt us unless it’s an emergency. Buck and I are in the middle of a session,” Peter remarked, swinging his chair around to face her.

“Sorry, but there is someone on the phone saying it is an emergency and needs to speak with you,” Mantis replied in a soft voice, looking a little shaken.

“Is it the same boy from Queens who keeps calling coming up with random reasons to get us to sign his girlfriend?”

“No, it’s a woman. She threatened to break my arm if I don’t get you on the phone right away.”

“Okay, well that doesn’t narrow it down,” Peter sighed, running a hand down his face. “Did you get a name?”

“Gamora,” Mantis whispered in a frightened tone.

“Sounds like something she would do. I’ll take the call in my office.” He stood up, nudging Bucky to let him know he needed to take a call. Bucky nodded as Peter stepped out of the room. He hasn’t spoken to Gamora since you broke up with him years ago, so why would she be trying to contact him now? “Hey Gamora, still threatening people I hear. What’s it been like......seven years?”

“Yup. It gets things done faster, and it’s pretty handy when it comes to my job.”

“I heard you’re a big-time lawyer these days, but I can’t say I‘m not surprised.”

“Whatever, Peter. I didn’t call to make small talk with you.” Gamora paused. “I know you and YN didn’t end on the best of terms, but I promised her that if anything happened to her I would call and tell you…”

“Wait, hold on a second--” he interrupted her “--what happened to YN?”

“She was in an accident this morning.”

“Shit, is she okay?” Peter inquired, running his hand through his hair. “I mean, why would I care? We broke up years ago.”

“Okay, I'll try to believe that.” He could picture Gamora rolling her eyes through the phone. “I still haven’t heard anything, since she went into surgery. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing at this point.” She cleared her throat. “Can you swing by the hospital? I need to talk to you about something important.”

“Ahhhh….what is this about? YN and I broke up ages ago. Besides, I’m at work, and I got a lot on my plate right now.”

“I wasn’t asking Peter, I’m telling you. It’s the least you could do after breaking my sister’s heart.”

“You had to go there, didn’t you,” Peter sighed, staring down at his desk in defeat. He should know by now that Gamora never loses a fight once she starts one. “Okay fine, I’ll be there in an hour.”

“Perfect. We’ll see you then, I’ll text you the details.”

They exchanged numbers before hanging up, and he went back into the recording studio. The room was quiet, and he noticed the empty sound booth. Nat must’ve taken them into her office to discuss the contract. He groaned, plopping down in the chair next to Bucky.

“Whoa man, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Bucky commented, taking in his appearance.

“I have to go meet a friend. Are you and Nat going to be fine without me for a couple of hours?”

“Yeah, it shouldn’t be a problem. Everything’s okay, man?” Bucky narrowed his eyes, moving his long hair out of his face.

“I hope so.” 

 

Peter pulled up to the hospital not sure what he was expecting. He wasn’t dating you anymore, but he didn’t want to see you hurt. He went up to the waiting room Gamora mentioned, but no one was there besides the nurses behind the desk.

“Excuse me,” the nurse at the station looked up at him with a warm smile. “Is YN LN out of surgery?”

She flipped through some files on her desk before clicking away on her computer. “She is still in surgery, but the doctors will be with you as soon as they can. You’re welcome to take a seat and wait. Are you family?”

“Yes,” he nodded without a second thought. He took a seat in the waiting room, running his hands through his hair and down his face. You were still in surgery, which could mean two things: everything was good and they were taking their time, or it was worse than they anticipated. He glanced at the television seeing a reporter speaking about the accident you were in. He read the subtitles as they drifted across the screen.

“On this mornings commute, a dump truck flew through a red light colliding into the side of a bus forcing it to topple over onto its side. We have gotten reports saying at least 12 are injured, but their conditions remain unknown at this time. As paramedics work hard to get everyone to safety, police are still investigating the cause of the accident. I will keep you updated on this story as it unfolds. Back to you in the studio…” Peter’s eyes turned away from the screen and back to the floor.

“Hello, Peter.” He glanced up to find Gamora with a little girl clutching onto her hand and eyeing him over. “You got here quick. Can we talk for a bit?”

“Yeah. Why else would I be here?”  He shrugged, standing up from his chair.

“Hey, Bug,” Gamora crouched down in front of the little girl with a caring smile on her face. “Would you be okay with hanging out over there for a little while?” She pointed to the children's playpen.

“Okay,” she nodded, ignoring the playpen to sit on one of the double-seated chairs. She pulled out an old green iPod and slipped in her earbuds as she tried to get comfortable. There was something about the little girl that seemed familiar to him, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

“Someone finally snatched up the lawyer Gamora, who cared more about her career than settling down with some dude. Who’s the lucky guy?” A cocky smile spread across his face.

“She’s not mine. She’s YN’s daughter,” Gamora corrected him.

“Wait, what?” Peter’s smile faded away, leaving his mouth hanging open before he snapped it shut. “When….when did that happen?” He asked, widening his eyes at her.

“Little over 7 years ago.”

“She found a guy right after she left me. Awesome, like that doesn’t hurt my feeling a little bit.”

“Not exactly,” Gamora replied while Peter ignored her.

“It’s good though…..good for her. As long as she found someone who does right by her, and cares about her and makes her happy. I’m happy for her…..” he rambled on.

“Peter shut up.” His eyes snapped to hers as he shut his mouth. “YN’s had only one person in her life for the last 7 years, and it’s been her daughter.” He narrowed his eyes, not understanding where she was going with this. “Okay, I promised YN if anything ever happened to her I would tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“The little girl over there--” she glanced in her direction “--is your daughter,” Gamora confessed in a hushed whisper, forcing Peter’s eyebrows to shoot up his forehead.

“What? No! No, no, no, no.” He shook his head not believing this. “It can't be! I would’ve known if YN was pregnant. She...she would’ve told me.”

“Really? Because the last I remember, you were halfway across the country when she found out.”

Gamora had him there. This must’ve all happened when he was at his internship in LA. How did he not know? Why didn’t he realize something was wrong? You always seemed so happy whenever he talked to you on the phone or through video chat.  “Why didn't she tell me?”

“YN tried to tell you, but she was afraid of how you’d react. Once she started to show, she knew she needed to tell you so she went to L.A. to surprise you and we both know how that turned out,” Gamora recalled, forcing Peter to clench his jaw. “I can’t tell you why she hasn’t told you because I don’t know why.” Gamora shrugged.

His eyes flickered over to the little girl swinging her legs back and forth in her seat. Her eyes connected with his for a split second before she focused back to her feet.  “What's her name?

“Meredith,” Gamora revealed, keeping a close eye on him.

Peter’s head snapped to her. “She named her after...after my mother.” Gamora nodded. He ran his hand through his hair, letting out a deep breath. “Why...um...do you..” He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to find the right words.

“YN wanted to name her after a strong woman,” Gamora filled in the blanks, making Peter crack a small smirk. “She’s a wonderful little girl. Strong headed and soft-hearted like her mother, but her quick-witted humor and love of music comes from her father.” He breathed a smirk, shaking his head at the little girl. “Can I ask you to do me a favor?”

“What’s the favor?”

“I’m due in court tomorrow, and I have to get caught up on what I missed today. Would you mind watching her tonight? I can't take her with me, and she’s too young to be left alone.”

“Ah...is this a good idea? She doesn’t even know me. Whatever happened to the whole stranger danger phase?”

“Trust me, you’re my last option.” Peter scoffed, forcing Gamora to roll her eyes. “If I could ask Nebula, I would, but she’s out of the country. I could ask a sitter, but Meredith hates them. She says they’re only in it for the money.”

He chuckled at her response. “Wait, hold on, you need me to take her tonight? Like tonight tonight? Right now.” He let out a deep breath as he glanced between Meredith and Gamora.

“What else would I mean by tonight? Meredith is smart for her age and if she needs anything she’ll ask for it.”

“Do you trust me to take care of her? I mean I once had a goldfish, and it died. I had a dog, but it ran away. This is an actual human being,” he emphasized, biting his lip to calm the nerves tingling in his stomach.

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t trust you after what you did to my sister, but you’re all I got at this point.”

“Psh.....that’s reassuring,” Peter scoffed, taking a deep breath to think it over.  “I have to move some things around, but she’s my daughter, and I should at least get to know her. Right?”

“That's the spirit.” Gamora patted him on the shoulder.

“Does she know who I am? Does she know anything about me?”

“YN’s told her some things, but as far as I know, she doesn’t know who you are.” He nodded, pushing his lips together in a tight line. Gamora walked over to Meredith with Peter in tow.  “Hey, Bug.” Gamora leaned down, placing a hand on Meredith’s arm as she took out her earbuds. “An old friend of your mom's is going to watch you tonight and tomorrow until I’m done with work. Do you think you could take care of him for me?”

Meredith peeked up at him through her eyelashes and scrunched up her face as she observed Peter. She was the spitting image of her mother, except for her eyes; she had his eyes. “I can’t promise anything, Gam,” she mumbled, shrugging her small shoulders.

“Hi, I'm Peter.” Peter held out his hand, and she reached up shaking it.

“I’m Meredith Quill.”

  

Peter sat in the waiting room for what felt like hours. They still haven’t heard any news about your condition, and it was making him nervous. He didn’t want to lose you all over again especially after finding out he shared a daughter with you.  He had so many questions he wanted to ask you: Why didn’t you ever tell him? Did you think he would get upset and leave? Did you not think he was ready to be a father back then? What about today?

Peter flipped through a hospital magazine, keeping a close eye on Meredith. He still couldn’t get over the fact he had a daughter. She swung her legs back and forth in her chair as she mouthed along to the lyrics flowing through her earbuds. He smirked, knowing he did this at the studio all the time. Something in front of her caught her attention as a soft smile spread across her lips. Peter glanced in the direction to find a golden retriever.

Meredith shoved her iPod in her pocket as she approached the dog. He couldn’t hear the conversation between Meredith and the owner, but he suspected it was about petting his dog. The man nodded with a smile, and she knelt down scratching the dogs head as it licked her face. He couldn’t help but enjoy seeing her smile for the first time.

“Mer is more like you than you think,” Gamora commented, highlighting and reading through some documents a seat away from him.

“How so?”

“She loves animals and won’t leave the house without her iPod. Sure YN loves music, too, but the way Mer listens to it is a lot like you. She can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, too.”

“I think she gets that from her mother though,” he chuckled, making Gamora shake her head in amusement. Mer scratched the dogs head one last time before returning to her chair and her music.

“So, what has YN been up to?” Peter asked, scratching the scruff on his chin.  

“Well--” she closed her file “--she’s been working at Potts of Honey for the past 4 years and…”

“Wow! What do they do there?”

“It’s a company helping parents and parents to be. They make all sorts of baby and toddler products, but they’re branching out to older age groups now, too. It’s a good company.” He nodded with pursed lips. “She also helps run a podcast for the company called  _Everyday's a Monday_. It’s been a raging success and it’s helped the company’s brand grow.”

“What kind of podcast is it?”

“A parenting podcast,” Gamora informed, crossing her arms across her chest. “They talk about the latest trends in the industry and parents share their experiences hoping to help other parents. She loves her job.”

“I’m happy for her,” Peter nodded at the floor. “She always wanted to help people, and now she is. It’s great.”

“Her job keeps her busy when Mer isn’t,” she grinned at the little girl. “How’s business at Walkman Records?”

“Good. Natasha’s been finding a lot of great talent, and Bucky’s such an expert on the soundboard it’s insane. Wait, how did you even know where to find me?"

“My assistant found you,” Gamora confessed. “I learned a bit about your career, too. Like, how you and your two friends started Walkman Records six years ago after signing your first client. Somehow you became an overnight success and have been creating music with the best artists of our generation.”

“Hmm, your assistant really did her homework on me.”

“She wanted to keep her job. Excuse me for a second.” Peter nodded as Gamora got up and went to sit next to Mer. She smiled as Mer laid down using Gamora’s leg for a pillow and closed her eyes.

Peter pulled out his phone replying to a few emails while his thumb hovered over the podcast app. He wasn’t a huge podcast listener because he preferred listening to music rather than people talking. He bit his lip trying to figure out if he should download an episode to see what it was all about. He was curious. What did you talk about on there? Were you only the producer of the show or were you the host as well? Maybe he could hear your voice again or your addictive laugh. He shrugged as he started downloading the first couple episodes of  _Everyday’s a Monday._

 

With still no word from the doctors, Peter could feel his stomach turning into knots, and his doubts started to set in. He didn’t want to think about it, but how could he not? He was about to assume the worst when two doctors dressed in scrubs stepped into the waiting room. Gamora noticed them and maneuvered herself out of Mer’s grasp, trying not to wake her. Peter shifted in his seat, so he could hear their conversation better.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Palmer, and this is my colleague Dr. Strange. YN is stable and out of surgery, but we wanted to tell you we did experience some complications.”

“What sort of complications?” Gamora asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

“At the scene, paramedics told us she was conscious and talking, insisting she was fine. Her only complaint was a massive headache and blurry vision. Medics brought her in right away but on the way she suffered a seizure. This forced us to run a quick CT scan, and we discovered a bleed in her brain. We believed she suffered a brain aneurysm from the accident, which led to her seizure. Once we found the bleed, we got her straight into surgery to repair it. This is when the complication during surgery set in causing her hemorrhaged and slip into a coma.”

“Is that normal? Is she going to be okay?” Gamora asked as Dr. Palmer looked to her colleague.

“It is hard to say at this time. We won’t know if she experienced any further damage mentally until she wakes up. Physically all she suffered was a couple of scrapes and bruises, but as of right now, all we can do is wait for her to wake up.”

“Thank you,” Gamora cleared her throat, earning a nod from both doctors. “Are we able to see her?”

“She is going to stay in recovery for the night and be monitored. We encourage you to go home to get some rest tonight so you will be a full 100% refreshed when you see her tomorrow,” Dr. Palmer reassured.  

“Can we at least say goodbye to her before we go,” Mer piped up, sneaking up beside Gamora and grabbing her hand.  Dr. Palmer peered over at Dr. Strange, but he shook his head no.

“I’m guessing YN is your mother?” Dr. Palmer asked, kneeling down to her level. Meredith nodded. “I bet she would love to see you, too, but she is asleep right now. Your mom needs to rest so she can build her strength to keep up with you when she wakes up. I promise you’ll get to see her tomorrow.”

“I WANNA SEE HER NOW,” she cried, stomping back to the chair. She crossed her arms, staring hard at the table with her forehead scrunched up.

“Don’t worry I’ll talk to her,” Gamora told the doctors. “Thank you again.” The doctors smiled before walking away. Gamora let out a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose before going over to Meredith.  

Gamora kneeled down in front of Mer setting her hands on each side of her. Peter could see her mouth moving, but he couldn’t make out the words she was saying. Meredith's arms loosen up around her, and she wiped her nose as Gamora pulled her into a quick hug. Gamora let go of her, and in an instant, she pulled her iPod back out of her pocket.

“What did you tell her,” Peter asked, staring at Mer who didn’t seem to be upset anymore.

“The truth.” Peter narrowed his eyes at her. “YN would want Mer to be strong and patient for her, and let the doctors do their job."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hope you enjoyed Part 1! Thanks for checking it out. This is a series I have been working on for some time. I am not much for the romantic type, but hopefully, I will be able to pull this off. I would love to hear what you all think so far and any theories on what is going to happen next!


	2. Chapter 2

Peter unlocked his apartment door, motioning for Meredith to walk in first. She didn’t say much on the car ride over, but in the rear view mirror, he saw her mouthing the lyrics to every song on the radio. “This is it.” He entered, pulling her NASA luggage inside before shutting the door. He turned around, noticing his whole apartment was lit up with candles, and soft music played over the surround sound.

“Peter, about time you get back. I’ve been waiting,” Bereet whined, walking out wearing black lingerie.  

Meredith’s eyes widened looking between him and the woman. “Oh, shi--shiitake mushrooms,” Peter blurted out quickly covering Mer’s eyes with his hand. “ I forgot to call you..ah...something came up I have to watch my friends kid.”

“Doesn’t mean we can't--” she sashayed closer to him, swaying her hips “--have a little fun after bedtime.”

He smirked, thinking it over before shaking his head. “Hmm, how about another time?” He tilted his head at the little girl raising his eyebrows.

“As you wish,” she sighed, walking back to where she came from. Peter stared at her retreating figure before collecting his thoughts and removing his hand from Mer's eyes.

“Welcome to my apartment.”

“Do you not have electricity?”

“Yes, I….oh--” Peter looked around at all the candles “--no the candles are...um...the candles are mood lighting for watching movies.” He turned around, flipping the light switch on. “See the lights work. Me and my friend, Bereet, we're about to watch a movie, but I brought you here so now we are going to do it another night.”

“Oh.” Her eyes traveled around the room before stopping on him. “Me and my mom always set the lights to dim, but I like the candles. If she wants you two can still watch the movie?”

“What no...no that's okay. The last time we watched a movie together wasl---” he cleared his throat, smirking to himself “--last night so skipping one night will be fine.”

“Cool.”

“Um...how about a quick tour?” Peter questioned as she nodded.

Peter showed her around his apartment and ended in the spare room down the hallway. “This is where you will be sleeping, and I will leave you to get settled in. The bathroom is next door, and my room is the door at the end of the hall. Don’t be afraid to ask if you need anything? I’m going to show my friend out and then make some dinner. Do you like pizza?”

“Who doesn’t like pizza,” she replied with a closed mouth smiled.

“Crazy people,” he smiled, making her giggle. He left her room and went back out to the living room to find all the candles blown out. Bereet was standing with her hands on her hips and a pissed off expression on her face. “I'm sorry, it happened last minute.”

“I understand, you're a nice guy. Besides, it's not like she’ll be around forever,” she grinned, kissing him goodbye.

“You couldn’t be more wrong,” he mumbled to himself, shutting the door behind her. He leaned against it, squeezing his eyes shut, and let out a deep breath. He opened his eyes to see Meredith running back down the hallway to her room.

"Not the first impression I wanted to make on her," he murmured, chasing after her. He got to her door and turned the knob, but it was locked. He knocked, no answer. He knocked again, no answer. “Meredith...um...let me know if you need anything, alright? I will be in my room,” he sighed, leaning his head against the door cursing at himself.

Peter went into his room and laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He called Gamora to ask her what he should do, but she didn’t answer. How was he supposed to get her out of her room? How’s he going to be a father to a daughter he didn’t know he had? Hoping to get his mind of this predicament, he slipped on his headphones and pressed play on the first episode of  _Everyday's a Monday._

As the intro song was playing, he was interrupted by his phone ringing. He glanced at the screen thinking it was Gamora returning his call, but it was Yondu. He met Yondu when he moved in with his grandparents after his mom passed away. Peter always looked up to him as a father figure since his dad was never in the picture.

“Hey Yondu, what up?”

“Good! How are you doing boy? How’s the studio?”

"I have a daughter,” Peter blurted out, ignoring Yondus questions.

“What was that boy? I don’t think I heard you right. My hearing isn’t as good as it used to be.”

“I have a daughter,” Peter repeated as he pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut.

“WHAT! With who? You didn’t impregnate that woman you’ve been messing around with did you?” Yondu asked in a gruff voice.

“No, it’s….it’s with YN.”

“Really? Well, she was the only girlfriend of yours I liked until you went and screwed up that relationship.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” Peter recalled, running his hand through his hair.

“So, what happened?”

Peter caught Yondu up on what Gamora told him about YN and his daughter. He wanted his advice on how he could make it up to her especially when he didn’t know how to tell her he was her father. How was he going to be a father when his own dad flaked out on him before he was born? He didn’t want to be another statistic for absentee dads, but he wanted to be a part of her life.

“I don’t know what to tell you boy, but you’ll figure out a way to tell her if she hasn’t already figured it out for herself.”

“I guess you’re right. Gamora did say she’s smart for her age.”

“We both know that comes from YN,” he cackled, making Peter roll his eyes. “Is she going to be okay?”

“The doctors won’t know the full extent of her injuries until she wakes up,” Peter explained with a long pause. “She needs to pull through this Yondu. She has to. I don’t want to lose her when I just found out we share a daughter together." 

“Don’t think like that boy, it’ll only do you more harm than good,” Yondu responded. “YN’s a tough woman, and she’ll get through this. I don’t think you ever said, but what’s her name?”

“Meredith,” Peter smiled to himself.

"There’s your answer.”

“Excuse me?”

“YN still cares about you, son. Why else would she name your daughter after your mother?”

“I don’t know. I wish I could talk to her,” Peter insisted, staring up at the ceiling. “I have so many questions, and she’s the only one who can answer them.”

“I get it. Give it time and before you know it she’ll be in your life again.”

“Thanks, Yondu.”

“Your welcome, son. I’m here if you need anything but go have fun with Meredith”

“I’ll see you later,” Peter smiled, clicking the end call button on his phone.

Peter peeked down the hall, but Mer’s door was still closed.  He clicked resume on the first episode which led to another episode and another. He realized the first few episodes were a bit shaky, but if this show became as successful as Gamora said you must’ve figured out some way to make it stand out. Peter continued to listen until his eyes fluttered closed and fell asleep.

Peter opened his eyes, seeing it was past midnight on his phone. His stomach growled, and he realized he never made any dinner last night for him and Meredith. He needed to figure out this parenting stuff and fast. He got up and started making his way down the hall when he notices Mer’s light is still on and her door ajared. He knocked on the door, pushing it open a little further.

“Hey, what are you still doing up?” He poked his head in to see her sniffling and wiping away fallen tears. She looked up from the picture frames in front of her shrugging at his question. Peter stepped into the room, moving towards the bed but hesitated beside it. She nodded at him, and he sat down next to her. He peeked at the photos in her hands and sees they’re all of you and her. His heart tightened as he took in a sharp breath.

“I'm scared,” she cried, scooching over to him and resting her head on his arm.

His eyes widen not sure how to respond to this. This was his first serious father-daughter talk, and he didn’t know what to do or say to make her feel better. What if he made a mistake and said the wrong thing? Is he going to screw up their relationship even more? Gamora told him you always tell Mer the truth, but was now the right time for him to be honest with her?

“Is this about your mom?” He asked, clearing his throat. She nodded. “It’s okay to be scared. I’m scared too, but your mom….your mom is the toughest woman I’ve ever met. She is one of the most determined women in the world, and she’ll get through this knowing you're waiting for her to wake up.”

“Why can't the doctor wake her up?”

“Your mom’s body is healing, but as soon as her body is ready, she’ll wake up.”

“How long will that be?” She whispered, wiping away more fallen tears.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know. I wish I did.” He patted her on the back, and she nodded, letting out a shaky deep breath. “Can you tell me about these pictures you’re looking at?”

She grabbed both frames and handed them to him. ”This one is when I was four in a half, and we went stargazing. This other one is when I was a baby. I don't remember this, but Mommy looks so pretty.”

“She does.” Peter stared at the photo with a shy smile. He glanced over at Meredith, realizing she was watching him like she was studying him. “Do I have something in my teeth?”

“No….well maybe,” she replied, taking one of the frames from him. She started turning the locks on the back of the frame until it came off. Inside were three pictures faced down with dates written on them. “Can you tell me about--” she grabbed the three pictures holding them to her chest “--these?”

“What are those?” He pointed at them as she laid them down face up on the bed. His eyebrows shot up his forehead, realizing they were all of him and YN. “Where did you find these?”

“In a box under Mommy's bed. There are tons of them, but these three are my favorite.”

He smirked as he pointed to one of the pictures. “This one is the first picture we took together.” It was their first, not a date date, and he took her stargazing. The picture turned out goofy because the flash was so close to their faces. Your mouth was open from laughing, and your eyes were shut tight as he smiled at you. He moved to the next photo, remembering it as their ferris wheel selfie where they first shared those three special words. The last one was of them dancing at a wedding they crashed on their spring break. Seeing these pictures brought back memories he didn’t know he still had of you.  

“Are you my Dad?”

He gulped, staring at her not knowing what to say.  She tilted her head at him as if the wheels were turning in her head. She wore the same facial expression as you did when you were thinking; narrowing your eyes and pushing your lips together. You may not have told Mer who her father was, but these photos told her a different story.

“What would make you say that?”

“Gam called you, and there's a box of pictures with you and my mom under her bed, so are you?”

He hesitated, biting down on his bottom lip. If he told her how would she react? Would she hate him for not coming into her life sooner, or will she be happy to finally meet him? He needed to start somewhere, so why not start now.  

“I’m your dad, Mer,” he confirmed with a small smile. She stared at him for a moment longer, looking skeptical, but a contagious smile soon spread across her face. She jumped up off the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her small frame. It's crazy how easy kids can forgive someone when it can take adults years to forgive someone.

She pulled out of his embrace and put her hands on his cheeks, smushing his face together. “I knew it was you,” she giggled, plopping down in the spot next to him. He smiled at her, shaking his head. “I knew my mom was keeping these photos for a reason.”

“What has your mother told you about me?”

“Lots of things. You love all things about music, and you like watching movies. You are funny and nice. The only thing I did not know was your name.”

“Wow. She did tell you a lot.” He nudged her in the side with his elbow. “I’m sorry I wasn't in your life sooner. I didn’t know you existed.”  

“It is okay,” she smiled, nudging him in the arm. “I knew you would show up at some point.”

“Are you hungry? I kind of forgot to make us dinner tonight.”

“I could eat! It is okay that you forgot, you are still trying to figure out the ‘dad stuff.’” She patted him on the shoulder, making him laugh at her consoling gesture.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awwww...Isn’t Meredith the cutest and the smartest! Where do you think their relationship will go from here? Do you think Peter will figure out the ‘dad stuff’ or will he struggle along the way? Will Peter and Meredith's relationship be affected when/if the reader wakes up? As always thanks for reading and comments always appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Peter woke up early and decided to make a big breakfast for Meredith like Yondu used to do for him. He started the coffee maker and connected his phone to the surround sound. Music flowed through the speakers making Peter sing along to the lyrics. A stool skidding across the floor behind him made him grin. He swayed his hips a little more and sang a little bit louder using the spatula as a microphone. A quiet giggle escaped from Meredith, encouraging him to continue. He started busting out his best dance moves as he spun around in a circle and stopped holding the spatula out to Mer. She didn’t sing, but she giggled, shaking her head at him. When the song ended, he bowed while Mer applauded him.

“Good morning, darlin’?” She glared at him with a look of disgust, forcing one of the corners of his mouth to quirk up. He would find a great nickname for her soon, but he had to test the waters with a few.  “Coffee?” He held up his mug.

“I don't drink coffee? I'm only 7 and 3 quarters.”

“Seven and 3 quarters, huh, well now you’re making me feel old,” he huffed. “How about breakfast then?” She nodded, shooting him a toothy grin. “So, what do you want to do today?” He made her a plate and handed it to her.

“Can we go visit my mom?”

“We will, I promise, but how about we do something before then? What do you say?” She shrugged, playing with the food on her plate.  “How about the museum?”

“Mommy was going to take me there.”

“I hate to take that away from her.” He bit his bottom lip trying to come up with something fast. “Um...how about we go to the park for ice cream?” Her eyes flashed to him as she started shaking her head, yes. “I have to run into work this morning for a meeting, but we can go after.”

“Awesome,” she exclaimed, biting into her breakfast.

 

Arriving at the studio, he was nervous to tell his co-workers about his seven-and-three-quarters-year-old daughter he had with YN. Bucky would be surprised, Nat wouldn’t know what to think, and Mantis loves children. He held the door open for Meredith to walk in first.

“Good morning, Mantis,” Peter greeted as he approached her desk. She smiled at him and then her eyes connected with the little girls next to him.

“Oh my god, you are so cute. You make me want to die.” Mantis rushed around the desk to kneel in front of her holding out her hand. “I am Mantis.”

“I am Meredith,” she replied, shaking her hand as a strange expression graced the lady’s features.

“Peter, is this your daughter?”

Peter never understood how she could detect certain things without even so much as an introduction. “Yes, she is. I found out yesterday, but could you do me a favor and watch her until I’m done with my meeting. It shouldn’t be longer than an hour.”

“Of course, have a good meeting boss,” She grinned, glancing between Mer and him before returning to her chair to answer the phone.

“Mantis is going to keep an eye on you while I get some work done then we can go on our adventure. How does that sound?”

“Great! Can I look around here?”

“Yes. Have fun but not too much fun though.” Peter gave her a thumbs up, walking backwards to his office. She giggled and dashed out of his view. He shook his head, stepping into his office to get ready for his meeting.

Mer strolled through the hallways looking at all the bands and records hanging on the walls. Her dad made music, and some of these bands were her favorites like Mouse Rat and Howling Commandos. She opened the door to one of the rooms making her mouth dropped open at the sight of the recording booth and the colorful soundboard. She hopped onto the chair, spinning around a few times before scooting over to the soundboard and running her hands across it.

“Little girl, I don’t think you’re allowed to be in here?” A guy advised, making Meredith jump. She shifted around in the chair and rested her chin on the back of it. The guy had long dark hair, a scruffy beard, and a tattoo covering his left arm.

“It’s okay, my dad said I could.”

“Did he? And who might your dad be, little girl?” He questioned, taking a sip from his coffee cup.

“Peter Quill,” Meredith responded, forcing the man to spit out his coffee and start coughing. She held her mouth shut tight trying not to laugh, but it didn’t stop her whole body from shaking.

“Is that right?” He asked, clearing his throat after getting his coughing under control. He wandered towards her and crouched down in front of the soundboard. “What might your name be?”

“Meredith. What’s yours?”

“Bucky. Are you having fun messing with my soundboard?”

“Yes, but what do all these buttons do?” Meredith asked, motioning her hand over it.

“Well, let me show you.” Bucky reached up to push a button when someone walking through the door made him stop and turn around.

“Bucky, you will not believe who sent me another demo.” Meredith peeked behind her to see a woman with red hair flipping through a stack of CDs.

“Let me guess, the Parker kid from Queens still trying to get his girlfriend signed.”

“Yeah, do you think I should….” the redhead stopped mid-sentence and narrowed her eyes at the little girl in the chair. “Who might you be?”

“My name is Meredith.”

“She’s Quill's daughter,” Bucky chimed in, forcing Nat's eyes to go wide.

“Hi, my name is Natasha, but you can call me Nat.”

“Hello. I like your hair.” Meredith stuck out her hand, and Nat smirked shaking it.

“Since when does Quill have a daughter?” She inquired, arching her brow.

“He found out about me yesterday.”

“Is that so? Who is your mom?”

“YN.”

“Wait, YN as in YN LN?” Bucky pressed with the questions as Mer nodded.

“Can you show me what some of these buttons do now?” Nat and Bucky exchanged a bewildered look before Bucky agreed to show her what they do.

 

Peter stepped out of his office when he heard laughter coming from the recording studio. He walked into the room and grinned at the scene in front of him. Meredith was braiding Bucky’s hair while he sat on the floor in front of the couch.

“What is your favorite animal?” Nat pried, smiling at Bucky interacting with her.

“Raccoons, but they are not pets my mom says,” Meredith responded, sticking out her tongue to concentrate on braiding.  

“What animal would you want as a pet?”

“A puppy.”

“Maybe you’ll get one for your birthday,” Bucky suggested with a half shrug.

“I don’t know about that,” Peter retorted, leaning against the doorway with his arms across his chest.

“Ahhh, dad’s here to ruin all the fun,” Bucky complained, leaning his head back and rolling his eyes. Mer giggled at him and poked him on the nose.

“Booo,” Nat hackled, throwing some of her bagel at Peter.

Mer tied off Bucky’s last braid and tapped him on the shoulder. He pulled out his phone to get a better look at his new dew.  “This looks great, Mer. I'm leaving it like this all day,” he smirked at her, running his hand through a few stands of his braided locks.

“Thank you, Bucky,” she said, wrapping her arms over his shoulders squeezing him into a hug. Bucky placed his hands over hers and squeezed as a caring smile graced his features. Nat couldn’t stop the adoring smile from appearing on her face.

“Are you ready to go on our adventure, monkey?” Meredith caught Peter's eye and shook her head at the nickname; there was another one to cross off the list.

“Almost, I have to grab my stuff.” She sprinted out of the room and Peter watched her with a lopsided smirk on his face. He turned back to Nat and Bucky who were both wearing the same amused expression on their faces.

“What?”

“You and YN have a daughter together,” Nat marveled. “Care to elaborate?”

“I’ll explain it all later. You two girls have fun!” Peter waved, heading out the door and down the hallway.

“What the hell are you talking about Quill? I look fabulous,” Bucky shouted down the hall.

“Bye dad,” Nat yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth.

 

Hiking along the path in the park, Meredith and Peter finished off their ice cream cones. Peter snickered at Meredith’s sticky hands as she put the last piece of the cone in her mouth. Peter handed her an extra napkin, and she giggled cleaning the sticky residue from her hands.

“I started listening to your mom's podcast, and I’m learning a lot about...”

“...the ‘dad stuff,’” she finished for him.

“Trying,” he breathed a soft chuckle as she took his hand in her. It didn’t seem like a big gesture to a passerby, but it made his smile a little bit wider and his heart a little more fuller.  

“Sometimes she talks about you on there.”

“Really, what does she say?”

“Good things.” She shrugged, swinging their connected hands back and forth. “She never uses your real name though. It’s always your nickname.”

“My nickname. Shit, I don't even remember it.” He scratched his head with his free hand. “Sorry, never say shit. Sorry, it's a bad word.”

She grinned, shaking her head. “I know. Mommy says it whenever she drops things. She says I am not allowed to say it till I get older.”

“Have to say I agree with your mother on that one.”

“Do you think we will see any animals here?” Meredith asked as they entered the nature hike trail.

“Use your imagination. Look--” he pointed behind her “--a baby deer.” She turned around, letting go of his hand, but doesn’t see anything and stares back at him confused. “Come on, look harder.” She looked back in the same spot, and her whole face lit up.

“I see it, he is so cute. He looks like Bambi.” They walked a little further up the path when she comes to a quick stop, and her eyes went wide. “Don’t move. There is a huge tiger behind you.”

“How big is the tiger?” He mumbled, trying not to move his mouth.

Mer stretched her arms as far as they could go. “Bigger than this.”

His eyes widened in fear as he jumped forward, holding his hand against his chest. “That scared me. Did you hear it growl at me?” She giggled as her eyes filled with wonder. “It was so loud. Wooo--” he wiped his brow “--I am glad it ran off.”

They continued up the path until the reached the waterfall at the end. Peter took out his phone, snapping a few pictures of them together as they watched the waterfall flow over the cliff before heading back on the nature trail. Meredith skipped ahead, and Peter noticed something in her hair.

“Hey, wait up, you got something in your hair.” Peter rushed to catch up with her, and she stopped.

“Is it a bug? Ahhh...get it out…GET IT OUT,” she screamed, patting the top of her head.

“No, it's just a twig.” He picks it out, handing it to her with a smirk. “Here you go, Twig.” She grinned, taking it in her hands and skipping ahead once again; that nickname is a keeper.

 

Peter walked up to the nurse's station with Mer holding on tight to his hand. She was scared, but why wouldn’t she be? It was hard enough for an adult to watch a parent fight for their life, let alone a little girl.

“Good afternoon, how may I help you?” the nurse asked, glancing up from her computer.

“We’re here to see YN LN,” Peter answered. “The doctors told us we could see her today.”

“Of course.” The nurse nodded, typing into her computer. “She is in room 423, but I’ll page her doctor, and she’ll take you up to see her.”

“Thank you.”

“Thanks, nurse lady,” Meredith replied, pulling her dad towards the waiting room chairs. Meredith sat down, and Peter took the seat next to her. She fidgeted in her seat as they waited for the doctor.

“It’s going to be okay, Twig,” Peter reassured, placing his hand on her shoulder.

“I know.”

Peter looked up to see a doctor dressed in teal scrubs approach them. “Good afternoon, I don’t think we met, but I’m Dr. Palmer. Are you YN’s husband?”

“Ah…no. It’s complicated.” Peter shrugged, standing up to shake her hand and introduce himself. She nodded then glanced down to Meredith.

“Are you ready to see your mom, Meredith?”

“Born ready,” Meredith replied, hopping off her chair as Dr. Palmer led the way. 

Peter's eyes couldn’t help but wander around the hospital as they followed behind Dr. Palmer. He never liked seeing the plain white walls or the boring pastel art hung up in each room. He hated the chemical smell in the air, and how it sent this nauseous feeling to the pit of his stomach every time he took a deep breath. It brought back too many bad memories, and he hoped Meredith wouldn’t have to experience the same feeling he went through all those years ago.

Dr. Palmer stopped outside your open door. “I want to inform you both, YN might not look like the YN you remember, but she is the same person.”

“It’s okay, I’ve watched enough medical shows I could do a tra-tray-trach-tracheotomy,” Meredith stuttered, shooting Dr. Palmer a wink.

“In that case, go on in smartypants,” she grinned, stepping away from the door.

Meredith ran into the room and headed straight to your bedside. Peter took a step into the room, but Dr. Palmer stopped him in the doorway. “I wanted to inform you her condition is still the same, but we are hopeful she will improve within the next few days.”

“Me too.”

“If you have any questions. I would be happy to answer them, but you should really get in there.”

“Thank you, Dr. Palmer.” She nodded, leaving him.

He walked into the room, and his breathing stopped. Your body looked so pale and fragile like if he touched you, he would break something. You were always the strong-willed woman that could knock him down a notch when he got cocky, but you looked so different. He stepped closer to you regaining his breath and noticed there were a few bruises and scrapes covering your arms and face, but you were still beautiful. If it wasn’t for the tube sticking out of your mouth, it would look like you were sleeping instead of fighting for your life. You needed to make it through this, Meredith needed you. He needed you.

“Hi, mommy. You won’t believe who is here,” she grinned at him over her shoulder. “Daddy, Mommy. Daddy came. He is so cool, just like you said. I met him, and I love him already.”

Peter felt his heart quicken and tingle at her words. She never called him Daddy or said those three special words up until this point, and he realized Mer wanted to wait until you were with them. He felt the corners of his mouth turn up into a loving smile as Meredith told you everything they did today. She told you about his studio, eating lunch and ice cream in the park, and going on a nature hike to see the waterfall. She didn’t leave out a single detail and Peter was surprised with how much she remembered. He didn’t even remember what he ate for breakfast.

 

Peter and Gamora worked out a scheduling system within the next couple days. Gamora dropped her off at school while Peter picked her up and took her to the studio. He'd try to help her with her homework, but it turned out Nat was much better at it than he was. Other times, he took Mer to see you in the hospital. On one of their visits, he took her to the gift shop and bought her a coloring book to help brighten up your room. Everyday Mer finished her homework, she’d color a few pages and hang them in your room the next day.

With five days passing since the accident, the doctors were seeing improvements in your condition. They removed the breathing tube, and they were confident you’d wake up in the next few days. Meredith believed it was all her doing because of all the colorful pictures hanging on the walls. Gamora and Peter agreed that it was by far the best artwork in the hospital.

Peter appreciated Gamora allowing him to spend time with Mer. It gave him the chance to get to know her and learn what he missed out on. With each day they spent together, Peter realized how much he wanted to be involved in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Awww...more adorable father-daughter moments. What did you all think of the nickname Peter gave Meredith? I thought it would be kind of cute and it's a cool easter egg. Next week, yall will finally hear (technically read) a podcast episode, so get ready! Thanks for reading and comments always appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Don’t want this to get confusing _,_  but the  _podcast is in italics_ and _the_ _flashback is indented and in italics._ I am hoping the indention works on all platforms. Fingers crossed!

_______

Today was the day Peter was dreading; it was the first day he wasn’t going to see Meredith since he found out. Gamora had the day off and admitted she missed hanging out with the little girl. Peter agreed, realizing this would be the only way he would get work done.  **  
**

Between switching tasks, Peter decided to take a short break and listen to another episode of _Everyday's a Monday._  He laid on the couch in his and Bucky’s office slipping on his headphones and clicked on episode #12 of 129. He has been trying to listen to them when he had time, but he wanted to hang with Meredith as much as he could. He hasn’t heard anything about himself yet like Meredith mentioned, and he still couldn’t remember the nickname you gave him. You haven’t even talked yet, but Wanda has talked an awful lot about you. He closed his eyes as Wanda began the introductions.

_"Hey, beautiful people, today's guest on the show is Dr. Helen Cho, our favorite OBGYN. And you won’t believe it, but YN agreed to join us at the end and tell us a bit about her adorable baby girl, Meredith. Que the intro.”_

Dr. Cho spoke about the baby forming, c-sections, and menstrual cycles. Like how the sex of a baby can be better determined at twelve weeks after conception. During c-sections, mothers are awake. Menstrual cycles take a while to come back especially if the mother is breastfeeding. It was a lot of information about women’s bodies Peter never thought about. 

_“I want to thank Dr. Helen Cho for coming in and speaking with us.  I hope our listeners enjoyed the conversation and learned a thing or two. Unfortunately, she had to rush off to deliver more beautiful babies into the world, and I hope she will stop by again. Anywho, it’s time for our next part of the podcast talking with my good friend and producer of this show, YN.”_

_“Thanks for blackmailing me to come on my own show.”_

_“Ignore her. I would never do such a thing,” Wanda tittered. “With us talking about pregnancy and birthing today, YN does have an interesting story of how she came into the world. Would you mind sharing?”_

_“Of course not, I mean it fits the topic of the week. My mom suffered from ovarian cysts, and most of the time they got so bad she needed surgery to remove them. My parents started debating if it was even worth to keep trying to get pregnant if my mother continued to suffer from this. Then a few days before surgery to remove them, the doctors were performing an ultrasound, and ‘tada’ found me. They delayed the surgery until after I was born. Then a year or two later, my family decided to adopt, and that’s when Gamora and Nebula came into my life. We might not be sisters by blood, but we did become a family.”_

_“You’re sisters are the best. Her sister, Nebula, travels the world as a photographer and always brings back the best gifts. Gamora is a badass lawyer who works at Coulson & Associates.  Then you’re the hotshot producer, and you’re doing it all while raising your 5-year-old daughter, Meredith. How do you handle being a single mother?”_

_“It can be hard, but I’m fortunate to have my parents and sisters willing to help me if I need it. I remember the first year being the hardest, especially the nights I was alone, but somehow I managed to pull through. At the time, I was living with my sisters because all the money I made went to paying for daycare. Most weekends my sisters helped, and forced me to get out, but I would only be gone for a few hours before I had to connect myself to the milk machine, again,” you chuckled. “I don't miss that at all. Around six months, things got easier because she got on a schedule.”_

_“Schedules are nice. I know with my twins, Me and Vis struggled, and to this day we still don’t know how we did it.”_

_“Oh yes, I bet it was like a daze for the first few months.”_

_“You have no idea. Does the dad know about Meredith?”_

_“No,” you sighed. “I know it's wrong, but when I tried to tell him I was pregnant it never felt like a good time? The one time it felt right something came up, and I waited which led to more waiting and more waiting until I never got the chance to tell him.”_

_“Does she know about her dad? Or ask about him?”_

_“Yes, I tell her everything she wants to know. I promised I wouldn't keep anything about her dad from her. She deserves to know him, and when I find the courage, I will tell him.”_

_“At least you’re not keeping her in the dark about him.  Some mothers don’t even share the details with their children because it’s too painful to talk about.”_

_“It’s hard, but I’m not going to keep the side of her, that is her father, from her. If that makes sense? Anyways, I make sure to tell her the good stuff about him and keep it simple. Like when I first met him or our first date,” you chuckled. “At least I didn’t think it was a date to start with at least.”_

_“Oh, I hear a story coming. Story…story…story,” Wanda chanted._

_“Okay, I will share my first not a date date with…him......_

 

> _There was a knock at your door, pulling you out of your dream. You leaned up, stretching your neck out, and realized you had fallen asleep on your computer. You rubbed your eyes as they adjusted to the soft glow coming from the desk lamp in your dark dorm room. Someone knocked on the door again as you stood up to answer it. When you pulled open the door, you squinted your eyes to try and shield them from the harsh hallway lights._
> 
> _“Wow! You look like you’ve seen better days,” he chuckled._
> 
> _“Thanks, man,” you sighed, leaving the door open for him to enter._
> 
> _“Oh my god, did a twister come through here? Why are their papers everywhere?”_
> 
> _“I’m writing a paper, and it’s due in like 25 hours, and I haven't even started.”_
> 
> _He stared at your computer screen. “According to this, you have 537 pages. Is this for a music class?”_
> 
> _“What? Why would you ask that?” You shoved past him to see the screen._
> 
> _“Because it says aaaaaaaaaaaallllllllll909. It's like you’re testing your vocal cords, but what's with the numbers?”_
> 
> _“Shut up---” you pushed on his chest “-- so I fell asleep.”_
> 
> _“Explains the keyboard marks on your face,” he snorted, making you roll your eyes. He scrolled up to the first page to see the title. “Insert fucking title. Wow, great title for your essay.”_
> 
> _“Shut up. I can't think of what to write about,” you confessed, running your hands down your face._
> 
> _“I think you need a new perspective,” he said as you shot him an annoyed look. “Maria told me you've been locked in here since Friday. It’s not healthy, YN. She also told me she would like her bed back.”_
> 
> _“What are you---oh my god, I’m a terrible roommate! No wonder why she left last night and didn't stay. I can’t even see her bed.” You stared wide-eyed at Maria’s bed, running your hands through your hair._
> 
> _“Hey, how about we clean this mess up, and I’ll get you out of here for a few hours.”_
> 
> _“But it's 11 pm.”_
> 
> _“On a Sunday! Come with me, I got a plan.”_
> 
> _He convinced you to leave your paper behind and drove you out of the city. You watched out the window as the city disappeared behind you. “Where are we going?”_
> 
> _“We’ll be there in about ten minutes or so?”_
> 
> _You sat in silence, staring out into the darkness. He always came up with the best plans, so what could he have planned on such short notice? You knew he wasn’t going to give you any details, so you turned the radio to your favorite station to fill the silence. All of a sudden one of your favorite songs started playing, and you belted out the lyrics. He laughed at you before he started singing along, too. He turned onto a gravel road and into what looked like a parking lot. He turned off the car and told you to follow him. Turning on his flashlight, he led the way._
> 
> _“Dude, wait up, I can’t see shit without a flashlight.”_
> 
> _“Shit, sorry.” He grabbed your hand, and you felt a sensation you couldn’t explain._
> 
> _He led you up to a small hill to clearing right over a cliff. The sight before you took your breath away. You could see all the stars in the sky and hear the crickets chirping nearby. The moon reflected off the flowing river in the distance as the city lights were shining on the horizon. The slight breeze sent a shiver down your spine and goosebumps to your skin._
> 
> _“It’s beautiful.”_
> 
> _“This place has always helped me clear my head. I don’t know if it’s the stars in the sky or the fresh air, but I thought it would help you, too.” He squeezed your hand. “And you can blow off steam here, too.”_
> 
> _“Care to demonstrate, Star-Lord.”_
> 
> _“Haha, you’re hilarious. Listen to this--” he let go of your hand and put them around his mouth and shouted “--PROFESSOR FURY OR FURRY, HOWEVER, YOU SAY IT, YOU’RE A REAL A-HOLE.” He smiled, turning back to you. “See now I feel better.”_
> 
> _“Do you really?”_
> 
> _“Yes. Give it a shot.”_
> 
> _You repeated his position and shouted. "WHAT THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO WRITE ABOUT FOR THIS FUCKING PAPER? THIS CLASS IS A FUCKING JOKE?” You put your hands back at your sides and chuckled. “I do feel better for some strange reason. Thanks, I needed this.”_
> 
> _“I know,” he winked, making you scoff. He reached for your hand as you continued to stare out at the view. His fingers intertwined with yours, sending a warm and tingling feeling coursing through your body._
> 
> _You glanced over at him, catching him staring at you. “Why are you staring at me?”_
> 
> _“Care to dance?”_
> 
> _“There’s no music,” you commented as he hit play on his Walkman around his waist; you never understood why he always carried it around with him wherever he went. Music started to play over his headphones. “Smart ass!”_
> 
> He takes his free hand and places it on your waist, sending a spark shooting up your back. He pulls you closer to him as your breath quickens. He raises your conjoined hands in the air, forcing you to roll your eyes. He tilted his head at your arm dangling beside you before tilting it to his shoulder. You obliged and placed your hand on his shoulder. You shake your head at him, trying to hide the smile from appearing on your face. Both of you started to move to the slow quiet music playing through his headphones. When you glanced back up at him, he was gazing at you with this boyish smirk on his face. 
> 
> _“Is this the trick you pull to get all the girls?” You asked with a shy smile on your face._
> 
> _“No, I don't usually need tricks. Most of the time, all I have to do is smile, and girls fall at my feet.”_
> 
> _You scoffed, slapping him on his chest. “They do not.”_
> 
> _“No, they don't,” He confirmed with a quick snicker. “You’re the first and only girl I brought to this place. I knew you were the only one who would appreciate it and see the beauty in it.”_
> 
> _“I do,” you grinned, staring at his chest, feeling the heat rush to your cheeks._
> 
> _“If you had the chance to do something you always wanted to do, but you would be risking everything. Would you take the chance, or would you not and regret for the rest of your life?”_
> 
> _Your head snapped up to him, and you could see something in his eyes you have never seen before. He stared at your lips as his eyes drifted back up to yours. He started to lean in but stopped short right before his lips could touch yours._
> 
> _“That's a risk I am willing to take,” you whispered, leaning in to kiss him._

****  
_“Wow! Is it hot in here or is it just me? Woo! Damn, Star-lord sure knows how to plan a great date, or in this case, not a date date. How did you two meet?” **  
**_

_“Second semester of my sophomore year of college. I was sitting in class half paying attention and half not. I had one earbud in and was doodling all over my notes. I think it was an economics class with one of those monotone professors. You know the type, where you stare at the clock and wish time went by faster.”_

_“I hated those professors!”_

_“Anyways, I was listening to my music and doodling when someone nudged the back of my chair. I ignored it, and then all the sudden I felt a piece of paper slide down my shoulder. I opened it up and it said something like, ‘Enjoying the tunes. Why am I not listening to music instead of this boring professor?' I peeked over my shoulder, and I'm sure I had the look like ‘what the fuck’ on my face. Oh crap, I’ll have to bleep that out later,” you chuckled. “As I said, I turned around, and he smiled and nodded at me. I acknowledged him and went back to doing what I was doing. When class ended, I was walking, and he came up next to me and introduced himself.  He had this boyish smile that drew me in and made him look so carefree. It wasn’t even a full on grin, but it was a little sexy smirk thing he did that drove me crazy. Anyways, we ended up forming this great friendship, which morphed into something more."_

_“Awwww cute. How long did you two date?”_

_“A little over two years.”_

_“Star-Lord seems like the guy who knew how to romance a lady”_

_“Sometimes,” you breathed a chuckled. “Other times he failed miserably, but he’s a great guy.”_

_“When was the last time you spoke to him, if I may ask?” Wanda questioned with curiosity in her voice._

_“About 5 years ago,” you stated without hesitation._

_“Wow, a dramatic yet romantic way to end this week’s episode. If you like this podcast, please rate, comment, and subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, from all of us here at Everyday’s a Monday, have a great rest of your week.”_

Peter zoned out as the episode ended and stared up at the ceiling. Star-Lord. Star-Lord, how did he forgot the nickname you gave him? That night was one of his favorite moments with you, and he even documented it was an out of focus photo taken on his flip phone. It was the same photo Meredith found in the shoebox under your bed; the one with you smiling and laughing at the camera as he gazed at you. It was one of his favorite not a date dates, and he hated to admit it, but that night he knew you were the girl he wanted to marry.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How about that? What did you think about Wanda being the host for Everyday’s a Monday? I think she's got potential, I mean it is only episode #12. You learned a few tidbits about the readers past, but there is still a lot left to uncover. What did you think about their first not a date date or about how they met? Comments always encourage and as always thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** Don’t want this to get confusing _,_  but the  _podcast is in italics_ and _the_ _flashback is indented and in italics._ I am hoping the indention works on all platforms. Fingers crossed!

_____

Peter sat in the pickup zone waiting for Meredith to get out of school. Its been seven days since your accident, and you still haven’t woken up. It was making him anxious, and he started thinking about the worst what if situations. What if you didn’t wake up? What if Meredith lost her mother? What if you did wake up, but you didn’t want him around Meredith anymore? It was hard not to think about every worst-case scenario with each passing day. Peter’s thoughts were interrupted when Mer opened the back door and crawled inside. 

“Hey, Twig. How was your spelling test?”

“Daddy, you won’t believe it!” She handed him the test in her hand. “I got 100%.”

“That’s my girl,” he grinned, giving her a high five. “This calls for a celebratory toy, what do you say?”

“Yeaaahhh,” she yelled, pumping her fist in the air.

Peter and Mer went to the toy shop near Walkman Records. It had all kinds of vintage toys as well as the new hottest toys. After much deliberation, Mer picked out an action figure made of rocks. Peter told her to call him Korg, and she was sold on the name and decided to get him. She hugged Korg to her chest as they check out and went back to the studio. 

After dropping Mer off at Gamora’s, he didn’t feel like going home just yet. He didn’t want to go back to his empty, quiet apartment. He used to love the peace and quiet, but now it didn’t feel like home without Meredith. He drove around aimlessly before pulling into a local grocery store parking lot. He turned on his Bluetooth and clicked on  _Everyday's a Monday_  episode #29. He turned up the volume as he reclined his seat, staring at the roof of his jeep.

 

_“Happy Valentine’s Day or to some Happy Singles Awareness Day! Yay! Today we have Steve Rogers in the studio. He’s a stay at home dad here to talk about his family life and how he manages it all. We will also hear about his Valentine’s Day plans and may hear a thing or two about the mysterious Star-lord if we’re lucky. Q the tunes.”_

Peter clicked pause. “Wait, Steve Rogers? Steve Rogers as in Bucky’s best buddy? Did Bucky know about YN? Did he know YN had a child?” He shook his head, pressing play.

_“Thank you for joining us today, Steve. How have you been doing?”_

_“I’ve been good. How are your twins?”_

_“Trouble makers if I’m being honest.” They both laughed._

_“You have a son and daughter correct?”_

_“Yes. Grant is eight years old, and he wants his way all the time. But, Jamie, our 4 years old, is a complete sweetheart. Peggy says Jamie is like me while Grant is like her.”_

_“Isn’t that the truth.”_

_“It is. I feel like children always take after one of their parent's personalities.”_

_“I couldn’t agree more. Let's talk fatherhood, many fathers would rather work than stay at home all day, but how do you like it?” Wanda inquired._

_“I love it. I never found a job that suited me as well as being a stay at home dad has. I ain't ashamed to admit that Peggy is the real breadwinner in our household. She’s a brilliant successful CEO of a mega-corporation, and I couldn’t be more proud of her.”_

_“Way to speak the truth, Steve. Not many men would ever say that so kudos to you,” Wanda praised. “What is your typical day like?”_

_“I wake up to work out at around 5 am, which helps me get ready for the day. By the time I get back home and freshen up, Peggy is up and helping the kids get ready. Jamie goes to morning preschool but likes to watch her big brother go to the big kid school as she calls it. She's excited to start kindergarten and go to the big kid school next year because she says all the kids at preschool are babies.”_

_"OMG, that’s adorable,” Wanda cooed._

_“Peggy goes to work around 730 am, and I run the kids to school. I tend to run errands at this point or run home to clean up the house a bit if it’s needed. Around eleven, I pick up Jamie from preschool, and we go do a fun community event if there is one going on. If not, we hang out at home together. It must be where she leans towards my personality,” he chuckled. “Once 3 pm comes around, we pick up Grant from the big kid school. I help him with his homework and then get dinner ready for when Peggy gets home. She makes sure she gets time with the kids before bedtime, and once they're in bed, we spend time together.”_

_“What do you and Peggy do to get away from the kids?”_

_“We have a sitter who watches them a few times a week so we can go out and have ‘adult time’ as the parents like to call it. We go out to dinner, see a movie, or meet up with some friends.”_

_“Sounds like a great system because finding time to spend together is the toughest part,” Wanda added. “We decided to test out something new this week, which involved asking our listeners to give us questions to ask our upcoming guest, and you all didn’t disappoint. YN and I were able to narrow down the questions, and we're excited to hear the answers.”_

_“Hi everyone, it feels weird joining this early,” you commented. “Our first question comes from Mary Parker, who asks, how do you deal with your children’s bullies?”_

_“I don’t like bullies, and I’m the worst person to take bully advice from. When I was younger, I was the small sickly kid in class who got made fun of a lot. I always stood up for myself, which led to me getting the crap kicked out of me, but my best friend was always there to save my butt.  Now, I get made fun of for being a stay at home dad. People accuse me of not being a real man, and I hate it. I love watching my kids grow up a little more each day and spending all day with them. It’s a rewarding experience.”_

_“You’re a real man, Steve Rogers. Not many men would admit they enjoy staying home and spending time with your kids,” Wanda applauded, and YN cheered along. "I, too, got bullied as a kid. When I first started school in America, I had his thick Sokovian accent, and I got made fun of for it. Both my brother and I did, but my brother was better at ignoring it than me. I wanted to blend in and be like everyone else, so I started talking without it, and eventually, my accent went away. Now it only comes out when I’m angry or frustrated.”_

_“I can relate to that, too. Not to get personal in my life, but I mean Mer has come home from school crying some days, especially when there's a father-daughter dance happening at school. Kids tell her things like her dad never loved her, doesn't like her, or that he left to get away from her. Shes come home crying more than once, and all I can tell her is to ignore them, but it takes a toll on her. Kids can be the worst.”_

Peter paused the episode and reclines his seat back up.  He rubbed his hands down his face, scratching at his growing scruff.  This was hard to hear because Meredith seemed like such a happy little girl it was hard to imagine her this upset. It wasn’t his fault because he didn’t even know about her, but it still felt like he was to blame. If only he wasn’t the jackass that ruined everything, maybe things could have turned out different. Peter clicked play to resume the episode. 

_“It does take a toll, but as she gets older she’ll get to the point where their words won’t affect how she views herself or her family,” Steve reassured._

_“Are you like an inspirational speaker or something?” You questioned, earning nothing but a breathy laugh from Steve. “I agree with you. Mer’s a tough girl, but it helps she has two great best friends in Wanda’s sons, Tommy and William.”_

_“I had a great friend growing up, too.  He’s still my best friend to this day. You always know you have a real friend when they’ll be there with you till the end of the line.”_

_“Couldn’t have said it better myself. How about we move on to the next question?” Wanda said. “Since YN has stepped out for a moment, this is from Maria Rambeau: As a guy, do you listen to this podcast?”_

_“Yes, I do,” he chuckled. “It's very educational. I’ve learned a lot, and I encourage more men to listen because they will get a better understanding of what happens to the female body during pregnancy. They also share helpful tips and tricks that could make raising your children a whole lot easier.”_

_“Perfect answer, Steve. Shout out to the guys listening to this podcast. It’s an educational experience, and your wife, husband, girlfriend, or partner will love you for it. Moving on, this question is from Laura Barton: With it being Valentine's Day, when was the first time you told your wife you loved her? Or who said it first?”_

_“I said it first, and we were dating for about two months at the time. I know it sounds soon but when you know...you know. I planned the perfect day, but nothing I planned was turning out right.  I took her out horseback riding, planning on telling her but then it started raining, so we had to rush back in. Then when we went out to eat at this fancy restaurant, the fire alarm went off. I wanted the day to be over, but then Peggy pointed to the diner across the street. We got there and ordered our food; burger and fries. She was telling me a story, and an idea popped into my head. As she was talking, I used my fries to spell out an I, a heart, and the letter U. She was still talking, but when I turned the plate around she stopped and stared at the plate with a confused look on her face. Then I said, ‘I love you, Pegs.’ She smiled at me and said it right back. The waitress came over and offered us free dessert because they found it adorable. Now we go there every chance we get.”_

_"Steve is blushing hardcore right now. I think he may be getting even redder after I said that,” Wanda awed. “What an adorable story though my heart is sweating for you and Peggy. Wish I could say the same for YN, but she's rolling her eyes and talking on the phone. It’s like that work call is more important than her job. I mean, doesn’t our employer understand what the red ‘on air’ light means outside this room. Okay, that made no sense once I said it.” Steve let out a soft chuckled.  “Oh, YN, listen to this one, it says I should interview you about your man one week. That's a great idea, Karen, but I don’t think she’d let that fly. She would rather hang out behind the glass, but one day, I may convince her. One day. Oh look, she is hanging up the phone and coming back into the room. I have my own question for you, Steve. What do you think of the Star-Lord series?”_

_"I do enjoy listening to it. From what you have mentioned about him, he did care about you. But, I don’t know the whole story, none of us do. I look forward to finding out more about him, but it's your call on what you share with us. Although, if I may, I do have a question for YN.”_

_“What is your question?” you asked with sarcasm dripping in your voice._

_“I am taking this question for Laura Barton. With it being Valentine's Day, when was the first time you two said you loved each other? Or better yet, who said it first?”_

_“Thanks, Laura, I appreciate you helping the guests with questions. For all I know, Wanda prompted Steve to ask this.”_

“You will never know,” Wanda said in a spooky voice, making Steve chuckle.

“Okay, um...funny story,” you laughed. “We went to the local winter carnival, which seems super cliche, but that’s how it happened. I mean, did you hear Steve’s story, super cheesy. No offense,” you paused, taking a deep breath. “We were dating for about six months…

 

> _“Come on, let's go on the ferris wheel,” you begged. “Then we’ll be able to see everything.”_
> 
> _“Do we have too?”_
> 
> _“What are you scared of heights?” You teased him, turning to him with a pouty lip._
> 
> _“Sweetheart, I ain't scared of anything,” he smirked, pulling you into his arms._
> 
> _“We both know that’s a lie.” You patted his chest. “Come on.” You grabbed his gloved hand, pulling him towards the ferris wheel to stand in line.  Once it was their turn, they hopped onto the seat and put the safety bar across them. He grabbed your hand and squeezed it, flashing you his cocky smile. You watched the world below you get smaller as the ferris wheel took you higher and higher until it stopped at the top._
> 
> _“Wow, this is amazing. I told you we could see everything from up here.” Your eyes scanned the horizon seeing the city and the carnival lights below you._
> 
> _“Yeah, you’re amazing.” You nudged him in the side as you mouth spread into a warm smile. He seemed a little on edge. More than usual. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times like he wanted to add something, but couldn’t find the right words. He kept glancing at you and then would look away. His brow was sweating, and his leg was bouncing everywhere._
> 
> _“Why do you look so nervous? Are you feeling okay?” You squeezed his hand, staring at him with furrowed brows. “What’s wrong?”_
> 
> _“Nothing. I'm--I'm fine,” he stuttered, clearing his throat. “All good. Never better." He nodded as rubbed his lips together. "Actually--actually now that you mentioned it,” He gulped, wiping the sweat from his brow._  
> 
> _“What is it? You know you can tell me anything.”_
> 
> _“I know, it's just um I'm--I’m falling in love with you. You don't have to...” You leaned over, planting a kiss on his lips to shut him up._
> 
> _You pulled away and rested your forehead against his. “I love you, too,” you whispered, bringing a childlike grin to his lips._
> 
> _He pulled out his flip phone from his pocket. “Smile, sweetheart.” You lean closer into his side, smiling at each other as he snapped the picture. When he turned his phone around to get a better look at it. It slipped out of his gloved hand and fell to the ground._
> 
> _“Dammit, I had a year contract left on that phone,” he whined, staring down at the ground._
> 
> _“We'll look for it when we're done,” you chuckled, patting his leg. “Let's hope your case helped it survive the fall.”_
> 
> _“I don’t need it. You’re all I need right now.”_
> 
>  

_“We did end up finding the phone after looking for a half hour. It didn’t work, but luckily his SD card survived the fall. It saved all his pictures, including the one we took before it slipped from his hand. It’s actually one of my favorites.”_

_“I’m not surprised he said it first or that he was a nervous wreck to get the words out,” Steve confessed. “We tend to make fools of ourselves for those we really care about.”_

_“Aww…I have never met him, but he sure knows how to romance a lady. Wish my husband would do something like that,” Wanda sighed. “I’m kidding, Vis is a huge romantic.”_

_“According to this sheet in front of me,” Steve read. “Frigga says: She loves hearing your stories about Star-lord. It’s one of her favorite things about this podcast.”_

_“Thanks a lot, Frigga,” Wanda complained, feigning hurt in her voice. “Just kidding, it’s one of my favorite parts, too. YN never says anything about Star-Lord when we hang out together. Every time she shares something, it's my first time hearing it, too.”_

_“Do you think he ever wonders what you’re doing now?” Steve asked with a curious voice. “Or if he has ever looked you up and saw you have a daughter and wondered if she was his?”_

_“I don’t know, I guess it never crossed my mind. The last I looked him up, his company got this big break, and he was becoming successful in his career.  Besides, he has more important things on his mind than the woman he used to date in college.”_

_“You might have a point there.”_

_“Whoa! Things just took a serious turn, but how about we lighten up our Valentine’s Day edition with one more question, even though YN is giving me the stink eye. This one comes from Ramonda: What are some ways your partner shows he/she loves you instead of saying it?"  
_

_“Hmmm…that’s a tough one. I don’t think I do anything, but maybe I do it and don’t notice it. Peggy always kisses me goodnight even if we're upset with one another. She never wants us to go to bed angry.”_

_“I can agree with that. Vis always wants to hold hands like we’re walking down the hall in high school,” Wanda giggled. “He also tries to make meals from Sokovia, but he always adds too much of one spice or adds the wrong spice. It’s like whenever he tries to make an effort to show he cares it makes me love him even more. How about you, YN? What did you and Star-Lord do?”_

_“We always did do this one thing. We started off saying I love you like every other couple, but then we started doing a motion, and the point got across without saying the words.”  
_

“Of course, you two would have a secret love language. Why wouldn’t you!”

_“Shut up, Wanda,” you scoffed. “I never noticed what we were doing until he pointed it out. I would always put my hand over his heart, and he would kiss my forehead. It became our way of saying I love you.”_

_“Awww...that is too stinkin' cute." Wanda paused. "Anyways, thank you to Pear Organic Pouches for sponsoring this week’s episode. And don’t forget to surprise your lover as one Star-Lord would do.”_

_“Good god,” you blurted out. “Shit, did I say that out loud.”_

_“You did,” Wanda giggled. “Thanks to the real man, Steve Rogers, and I hope you all can join us for our next episode on Everyday's a Monday. Don’t forget to subscribe and tell your friends about us. Have a good week!”_

 

“Are….you...fucking….kidding…..me?” Peter hit his steering wheel between words. Why didn’t Steve tell him he went on your podcast two years ago? Why didn’t anyone tell him you had a kid? Did Bucky know about this? Did he know about Meredith before this all happened? Did Nat? Was he the only one that didn’t know the truth? Fed up with the unanswered questions, he drove to Bucky and Nat's house and banged on the door.

“Hey man, it’s late. What are you doing here? ” Bucky questioned, opening the front door and took in his appearance. “Whoa, you alright man?”

“Did you know?” Peter growled, clenching his jaw.  

“Know what, man? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Did you know YN had a kid before I found out?” Peter poked him in the chest, glaring at him. 

“Dude, why the hell would you think that?” Bucky snapped, narrowing his eyes at Peter.

“I listened to an episode on her podcast. Guess who was on it? Steve. As in Steve Rogers,” Peter shouted, shaking his head when Bucky didn’t answer. “Come on, man. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Bucky bit his lip as he tried to find the right words. “Okay…yes….fine, I knew she had a kid, but I didn’t know she was yours. Steve told me he was going on a podcast and mentioned YN’s name and about her having a kid. Dude, I thought she met a guy right after you, and I didn’t want to be the one to break your heart again because you’re still in love with her.” 

“What! Don’t be ridiculous? It’s been--it’s been seven years, those feelings are long gone.”

“BULLSHIT, QUILL,” Bucky piped up, poking him in the shoulder.  “You keep telling yourself that because we both know your lying. I bet when you walked into that hospital room and saw her everything you felt for her came rushing back.”

“Shut up, man. You don’t know what you're talking about.”  

“Yes, I do. I saw how much that relationship took a toll on you after it ended.” Peter shook his head, staring hard at the ground. “It did, man. It hurt you. You can deny it all you want, but it’s the truth.”

“Shut up, Buck.”

“No, because you need to hear this,” Bucky shouted, forcing Peter's head to snap up at his words. “You have missed YN ever since the break-up. Sure, you tried to find what you had with her in other girls but you couldn’t.  YN was the one for you, man,” Bucky added. “What I don’t understand is why you didn’t tell her the truth about what happened? I mean," Bucky sighed, shaking his head. "You didn’t--you didn't even chase after her or fight for her, man. You watched her walk away, and you regretted it.  Of course, you’re too stubborn to admit it to me or yourself, but when she stepped out of your life you lost the best thing that has ever happened to you”

“You’re wrong.”

“Am I though?” Bucky countered, waiting for a smart ass reply from Peter but got nothing.  “Ever since Mer has come into your life, I haven’t seen you this happy since you were dating YN. Ignore me, listen to me, I don’t care anymore, but I’ll see you tomorrow, Quill,” Bucky waved, closing the door between them.

Peter nodded, walking back to his jeep with his hands in his jacket pockets. He reached the driver's side door and stared at his reflection in the window.  Peter hated how Bucky was right about everything. He let you slip through his fingers without even trying to explain what happened. He watched you walk away and disappear into a crowd of people heartbroken because of him. He fucked up, and he did it all to himself. It's like every breakup song he has ever heard, person A doesn't know what they have until person B is gone. He missed how happy you made him feel every day he was with you. He just hoped there was still enough time for him to fix all the mistakes he made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This was a fun podcast to write because I thought of taking it so many different ways with Steve before I settled on this one. I knew right away that Steve was going to be a stay at home dad because let's be honest Peggy wouldn't stay home. Haha! We got another glimpse into the reader and Peter’s life together. Any ideas about what might have caused their breakup? What did you all think about Bucky’s bluntness and honesty when Peter showed up at his house? I think you always need that one honest friend in your life that will tell straight up; you fucked up. That's is the kind of relationship I wanted to show Bucky and Peter having, or at least that is what I was going for. Talk about a long ramble!! Comments always welcome and thanks for reading. Have a good day!


	6. Chapter 6

Your eyelids were heavy. They felt like a heavy curtain you were too afraid to open. They were like a shield protecting you from what was waiting on the other side. Someone was talking, but you couldn’t place their voice. It reminded you of someone, but you were certain your mind was playing tricks on you. 

“I have been hearing about all the adventures you took with Star-Lord on your podcasts. Your listeners must enjoy hearing about them; otherwise, I know you wouldn’t be sharing them. To be honest, I forgot about those random trips to our favorite spot, or the time I choked on a grape and you had to give me the Heimlich,” he breathed, letting out a soft chuckle. “It’s a shame I wasn’t around when you were going through your biggest adventure alone. I wish I would’ve been there with you. I wish I chased after you that day. I wish I never let you go. I’m sorry.”

You felt a warm pressure on your hand as if this was the warmth you’ve been searching for. You shifted towards it as you slowly opened your eyes to find Peter next to you holding your hand. You stretched your legs as a pain traveled up your side. It was like pins and needles poking and prodding all the way up to your head, resulting in the worst headache you ever felt. Peter flashed his eyes to yours, seeing both relief and worry in them.

What was happening? Where were you? Why was he here? You haven’t seen him in 7 years. As much as you hated to admit it, the scruff on his face made him even more handsome. You could feel your throat tightening up as you started coughing hard, forcing you to squeeze your eyes shut. When you opened your eyes for a quick second you see someone in scrubs run into your room with a pitcher of water. She filled a glass and handed it to you with a straw. 

“Don’t drink this too fast, okay?”

You nodded, taking small sips of water from the straw. Your eyes flashed to the chair Peter was sitting in before, but no one was there. Was Peter there or was your mind playing tricks on you? 

“Do you remember what happened? Do you know where you are?”

“I don’t remem....” you croaked, clearing your throat. You take another sip of water before continuing. “The hospital.”

“Good. Yes. I’m your doctor, Dr. Palmer. I have contacted my colleague, who has been consulting with me on your case. He should be here shortly. Are you in any pain?”

“My left side and my head.” 

She adjusted a switch on the tube to give you more pain meds. “If I may ask, what was the last thing you remembered before you woke up here?”

“Um…dropping my daughter off at school and then waking up here. Shit--” your eyes shot up to her “--my daughter.” 

“She’s fine. She has been visiting you almost every day she could with your sister and her father.” Your eyes grew wider as you took another sip, and started coughing as the water went down the wrong hole. “Easy, YN.” You nodded, holding your hand over your mouth to get the coughing under control. 

“Was there...um...was there a guy here earlier?”

“Oh, you mean Peter, Meredith's Dad?” She questioned with a knowing smirk. “Yes, he brought everyone on the floor coffee to get in to see you after hours. But don’t worry, it will be our little secret.”

“Wait, you got coffee, I didn’t get coffee,” another doctor frowned, stepping into the room. “Whoever this guy is? He owes me a coffee. Hi YN, I’m Dr. Strange.” You nodded, acknowledging him.

“He’s in the hallway on the phone, Strange. Don’t be so stubborn.” 

“I wouldn’t have to be if he got me a coffee, too.” You shake your head at them. “Excuse us, but we need to run a few more tests to make sure the accident didn’t do any further damage we couldn’t see.”

“Accident? What accident?” You asked as you tried to remember what happened.  

“You didn’t tell her yet?”

“I was just about to?” Dr. Palmer stated. “You were in an accident, and have been in a coma for the past 8 days.”

 

Having slept for the past eight days, you still couldn’t believe how tired and exhausted you were. It felt like you got no sleep at all. After running a couple of tests, a nurse came and pushed you in a wheelchair back to your room. You were ready to go back to sleep, but the figure sitting in the same chair Peter was in woke you right up. You smiled at Gamora as the nurse helped you back into bed. Once the nurse left, Gamora sat on the bed, pulling you into a tight hug.

“Ow, ow, ow,” you whined, forcing Gamora to squeeze you harder.

“Stop complaining,” she smirked, pulling away. “I’m happy you’re awake. Mer and I were making bets to when you would wake up.”

“Of course you were.” You narrowed your eyes at her as a carefree smile spread across your face. Deep down, you knew Gamora felt relieved. Growing up, she never liked showing her emotions because they made her feel weak. She keeps them hidden so she can be strong for everyone else.

“How are you feeling? Do you remember anything that happened or is it too soon to talk about?”

“So eager with the questions,” you stated. “I don’t remember anything leading up to the accident or after. The doctors told me it's normal for our brains to block out those traumatic events, so there's a chance I won’t remember at all. I am feeling pretty good, but it does feel like I got hit by a dump truck.”

“Haha, you’re hilarious,” Gamora snickered, rolling her eyes.

“Anything interesting happen while I was sleeping?”

“No. It was uneventful.”

“Bullshit,” you chimed in, narrowing your eyes at her. “You told Peter. He knows about Mer.”

She sighed. “Remember the promise you wanted me to keep.” You shrugged, staring down at your hands. “If anything happened to you, I’d call him. He deserved to know, and I didn’t know what was going to happen. I mean, you could’ve died. Besides, I had to go to work, and I needed someone to watch her. Nebula has been out of town a lot lately, and this was a big case that needed all my attention.”

“I understand.” You reached out, squeezing her hand. “He was bound to find out at some point. How did he take the news?”

“At first he thought she was mine, but then I corrected him. He seemed shocked, nervous, and confused all in a matter of a few seconds. He wanted to know why you never told him, and I told him it wasn’t my place to say,” she explained as you bit your lip. “But you wouldn’t believe how good he is with her. He took her on hikes, brought her to visit you, picked her up after school, and helped her with homework.” 

“He did...he did all that with her?”

“Yeah, he wanted to get her mind off things and have fun. Peter thought it's what you would've done. I'm still surprised by how fast he took to her. They've really grown to love each other in such a short amount of time.”

“Meredith wears her heart on her sleeve.”

“Like you do,” Gamora implied, forcing you rolled your eyes. 

“Used too,” you corrected her. “How was Meredith doing with everything happening?”

“At first she didn’t understand what was going on and why she couldn’t see you. I tried my best to explain, and I think I got through to her. Anyways, Peter agreed to take her the first night you were here since I had work to catch up on. From what he told me, it was an interesting night for him.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Well, Mer locked herself in his guest bedroom for a few hours. He called me multiple times, but I didn’t hear it go off, so he left me a voicemail. He was freaking out because he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know if he could do this, but when I called him back, I knew something changed,” she reassured. “The next day I saw them I knew he told her the truth...”

“About being her father.”

“Yes.

“Is he still here?” Your eyes wandered over to the door.

“No, he’s with Mer at my house,” Gamora responded. “He called me as soon as you woke up. He thought it would be better to see my face rather than his.”

“Makes sense.”

“Are you going to talk to him?” Gamora questioned, raising her eyebrows.

You shrugged. “At some point. When I woke up, I saw him here, but I didn’t think it was real. I thought I was being delusional.” Gamora shot you a knowing look. “What?”

“You’re an idiot? He still cares about you.” 

You huffed, shaking your head. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s been seven years, knowing him he has a new woman or women in his life.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. I mean, what reason does he have to come here this late at night?” Gamora hinted, making you roll your eyes. “I should get going, and you should get some rest. I have court in the morning."

“Will you come back tomorrow?”

“Yes, and I will bring the little Bug, too,” Gamora assured, leaning in to give you another tight hug.

“Thank you for everything,” you grunted into her ear.

“It’s what families do, but I’m not the only one you should be thanking.”

“I know. I know. Love you, Gam,” you replied, waving at her. 

“Love you, too, sis,” she winked, walking out the door and leaving you alone with your thoughts. 

 

Peter waved goodbye to Gamora as she drove out of the driveway. He wanted someone to be with you and knew he wasn’t the right person. You wouldn’t want to see him, and he didn’t blame you. He shut off the porch light, locked the door, and went to lay down on the couch. 

You were awake, and he couldn’t be more relieved. He wanted to talk to you, but it felt like it was too soon.  Besides, what was he going to say to you? Did you still hate him after all these years? Are you going to allow him to stay in Meredith’s life? His eyes drifted closed, but his head continued to fill with questions.

“Daddy, daddy,” Meredith whispered, poking him in the nose. Peter grunted, opening his eyes to find Meredith standing next to him. “Why are you here?”

“Hey, Twig.” He sat up, rubbing his eyes. “I'm here...I'm here because your mom woke up.”

“She did,” she squealed, jumping up and down. “Can we go? Can we go see her now?” 

Peter chuckled, placing his hands on her small shoulders. “Calm down. We will, but she needs to rest, and I'm sure her doctors are running tests.”

“Okay, but we will, right? You’ll come with when we do.”

“I can’t promise you anything, but I will try.  Now go back to sleep, and I'll be here when you wake up.”

“Okay, Daddy. Love you.” She jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. 

“Love you, too, Twig.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: The reader is finally awake! Any theories on what's going to happen next? Do you think she will let Peter continue to see Meredith? Or will the reader not want Meredith anywhere near him? As always thanks for reading, and comments and kudos are always welcome.


	7. Chapter 7

Peter was in his office staring at all the unanswered emails and the pile of demo CD’s Nat wanted him to listen to, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. The only thing on his mind was you and how you were doing. It’s been a few days since you woke up and Gamora texted him updates. He acted like he didn’t care, but he did. He was happy you were getting released from the hospital today, which meant you were recovering. He’s been busy working, so he hated not being able to see Mer as much as he was before. 

Bucky laid on the couch listening to the same pile of demos Peter was supposed to listen to; instead, all he wanted to do was listen to your voice. The only way to do this was to listen to the next episode, #43. He slipped on his headphones and put his feet on the table as he leaned back in his chair, shutting his eyes. 

_“Hello, listeners and welcome to this week’s episode of Everyday's a Monday. Today we’ll be talking about pregnancy, but more specifically how and when we found it. Sometimes this doesn’t happen in the best of circumstances, but sometimes it can be a miracle. But like some of us, we remember when we got pregnant, cough cough, YN. Isn’t that right? Listeners, she is shaking her head, yes, but the whiteboard she is holding says no. That’s right she has a whiteboard now! I am going to get her to talk like I always do because she loves me, her job, and our listeners. OH MY GOD, she’s flipping me off,” Wanda gasped. “We’ll be hearing her story later, but for now, for today’s guest, she is our very intimidating, took a great deal of convincing to get her on the air, Virginia Potts aka Mrs. Stark, but everyone calls her Pepper. Welcome Pepper, how has your week been going?”_

_“It’s been great. We have some new products about to launch this month, and we hope everyone will check them out. We are even going to be giving away ten of each product to those who enter our contest, which will launch this week on our website.”_

_“Hear that free stuff, who doesn’t love free stuff,” Wanda laughed. “Let’s get right into it. I know you have a little girl at home that you love dearly, but how would you describe the moment you found out you were pregnant? Were you and Mr. Stark trying, did it just happen, or was it a crazy romantic evening?”_

_“Well...I won’t give much away, but it all started......_

_...then the next thing I knew there was an adorable baby girl in Tony’s arms, and it brought a smile to my face. Because in that moment, I knew Tony would be the best father in the world to her, and he has been. I couldn’t have asked for a better husband or a better father to our little Morgan than Tony.”_

_“Aww, that's so sweet.”_

_“Don’t tell him that because it will go to his head,” Pepper stated, making both of them laugh. “Enough about me now. Let’s hear YN’s story.”_

_“And with that, she is walking through the door. Wow, Pepper you barely had to say anything to get her in here. I always have to convince her.”_

_“Well, I write her paychecks,” Pepper added._

_“That you do Pepper,” you laughed. “So what should I share with you on this episode?”_

_“What events led up to your pregnancy?”_

_“It happened spring break of my senior year in college. Star-lord surprised me with a planned trip the night before we were leaving. He didn’t tell me where we were going because he wanted it to be a surprise...”_

Peter knew this exact trip you were talking about. He spent all senior year working double-time to pay for the five days, four-nights adventure in Colorado Springs. He planned everything from the activities to where they would eat each night. He opted to stay in an Airbnb instead of a hotel because it was cheaper, and they would have more privacy. He thought everything would go according to plan, but it didn’t end up that way. 

_“He planned our whole trip to Colorado Springs. I will admit, he did a great job with it, too. We did all kinds of things I never would've thought about doing like zip-lining, taking a helicopter flight above the mountains, and rock climbing. I was horrible at it, but Star-lord liked it because he got to stare at my ass the whole time,” you chuckled, forcing a laugh out of Wanda and Pepper._

Peter smiled to himself because you weren’t wrong. He did enjoy the view.

_“Did he take you anywhere romantic?” Pepper asked._

_“We went stargazing.”_

_“Oh my god, it’s like your first not a date date,” Wanda chimed in._

_“Yes, but it was better. Staring up at those stars was different because they felt so much closer and shined so much brighter. I have looked up at many stars, but those in Colorado Springs were something special. It was a beautiful night, and one of the best trips I have ever gone on. I don’t know if it was the fresh air or if it was being there with Star-lord because he made it so much funner. I know that’s not a word, but that’s what it felt like.“_

_“Awww, are you blushing?”_

_“No, why would you ask that Wanda? YN doesn’t blush.”_

_“You two done…...okay good.” You cleared your throat. “Each night, we stayed up late talking. We talked about everything. Hopes, dreams, promises, and our life together after graduation. They were deep conversations. I mean we had conversations like this before, but nothing as deep as the nights we had there.”_

You were right. Those late-night conversations were deep. He remembered talking about marriage and where they would move to start their lives together.  They talked about having children and what they would name them. It was hard to remember the exact names, but he was almost positive Meredith was one of them. You and him made many promises on this trip, but he did end up breaking one of them; he broke your heart. 

_“Anyways, the last day he set up a whole spa treatment for me, it was six hours of treatments, but it was a night I will never forget.”_

_“You had amazing sex didn’t you?”_

_“Why would you go right there, Wanda? There is way more to the story before the sex happened.”_

_“Wow, talk about eager beavers,” you sighed. “I got back to the house, and laying on the bed was a gorgeous V-neck black dress and black heels with red on the bottom. Next to the dress was a note saying, ‘Get ready. I’ll be there at 7 sharp. Love, Star-lord.””_

Peter could picture you in that black dress to this day. He wished he could take all the credit for finding it, but it was all Gamora. She did an amazing job finding the perfect dress to show off all your favorite features. Peter still didn’t know why you wanted to be with him at the time because you were gorgeous, and he was a sandwich away from being fat. 

_“Once I got ready, there was a knock on the door, and once I opened it I saw Peter dressed to the nines. He was wearing a gray suit with a black tie. I mean he looked…”_

_“She is drooling, listeners.”_

_“Shut up, Wanda. I’m not drooling, but he looked very….”_

_“Hot? Cute? Fuckable? Handsome? Sorry listeners I have no filter,” Wanda confessed._

_“Any of those words would work. He picked me up and took me downtown to one of the nicest restaurants I have ever been to. It had a view of the mountains, and all the waitresses and waiters wore suits. It was classy and after dessert…”_

_“He got more dessert?”_

_“Wow...this episode might as well be rated R at this point.” You paused.  “So, we were walking down the street holding hands, and we walked past this wedding reception going on. There was a big sign out front saying ‘Wilson’s Reception’. We both looked inside and got the same idea. We went in and started dancing. I’m not one to dance in public, but he made me want to do it. I swear we danced for what felt like forever, but it was only a couple hours.”_

_“Did you two get caught?” Pepper questioned._

_“Yes, but the groom felt so honored we crashed his wedding that he went around introducing us as the wedding crashers. They were the nicest, most welcoming people I've ever met. We even ended up filling out the guest book and bought them a present from the gift shop across the street. It was a blast! We even ended up exchanging numbers with them. About a month later, we got a thank you card, and a few pictures of us with them and one I didn’t even know they took of me and Star-lord slow dancing together.”_

Peter heard the smile in your voice. He couldn’t believe he had that much of an effect on you that evening because you had the same effect on him. He remembered this night, especially because he realized this was Meredith's third favorite photo of them. His back was to the camera showing off his white collared shirt holding you close with your arm wrapped around his shoulder. It looked like he was whispering something to you, but he couldn’t remember. You wore a soft carefree expression on your face and a small smile showing how breathtaking you could be without even trying. This was his favorite picture of the two of you together because he could see how much in love with you he was. 

_“Wow, now that sounds like a fun night,” Pepper commented._

_“It was, but our legs were killing us the next day. We were lucky all we had to do was sit on the plane,” you explained. “When we got back to the cabin that night, Peter opened the door, and something felt different in the air. The room was lit with candles, there were flower petals on the floor, and soft music was playing over the surround sound. It was something you would see out of a movie.”_

_“I am such a hopeless romantic for that shit. There are literal butterflies in my stomach, and I wasn’t even there,” Wanda admitted._

_“I didn’t know what was going on, so I turned to him, and he gave me a cheeky smile. You know that smile where he did something wrong, and he is nervous about me finding out, but instead, he grabbed my hand and pulled me close. I put my hand over his heart and….” You took a deep breath and let it out as if you were thinking about what to say. “Not giving away any details you can use your imagination on this one listener. One thing led to another, and about a month later I found out I was pregnant.”_

_“Do you think he had other plans that night besides putting a baby in you?”_

_“I guess I’ll never know,” you confessed in a soft voice._

_“Another story about the dreamy Star-Lord and I still can’t calm down the racing heart in my chest. As always, thank you to Pepper for spending the last hour with us, and to our amazing fans for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe, comment, and follow us on our new Instagram page. From all of us here at Everyday's a Monday have a great week!”_

Peter did have other plans, and it didn’t involve putting a baby in you. There was a reason it looked like something out of a movie because he wanted everything to be perfect. He found the best flower petals, your favorite smelling candles, the most calming music, but he never got the words out. He chickened out. He tried to find another chance to do it, but then he got the call. The call that changed his life. The call from Wakanda Records telling him he got the internship, which meant he’d be moving and living in Los Angeles for two years. He thought it was a new beginning for both of them, but everything spiraled out of control. 

“What the fuck, Peter, you’re proposing?” Nat shouted at him as soon as she pulled the headphones off his head. He sat up, rubbing his eyes as they adjusted to the lights. Nat must've scared Bucky too because he was up and stretching his arms over his head looking confused by the situation, too.

“Don’t be mad, but what am I proposing?” He asked, squinting his eyes.

“You’re going to ask Bereet to marry you. I didn’t even know you two were that serious.”

“WHAT? NO! We are not serious at all! Where would you get such a crazy idea?”

“She found a ring in your apartment,” Nat interjected, crossing her arms across her chest. 

“Ring? What ring? I never bought a ring!” Peter admitted, staring hard at his hands on his desk. 

“Well she found one, and I am paraphrasing her when she texted me ‘it was cute but small’. And she wants me to investigate in secret to when you are going to do it.”

“Some secret spy you are,” he scoffed, shaking his head.

“Where did she say she found it?” Bucky questioned in a gruff voice.

“Um--” she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her messages “--in your music collection. It was in with your cassette tapes.”

Peter furrowed his brows before his eyes widened, and he looked at Bucky who seemed to have the same realization. “Bucky, you never got rid of it? I thought you told me you got rid of the ring. You told me you did.”

“I never said I did. I put it in with your music in case something changed down the road and it has.”

“Wait, what's going on here?” Nat looked between the two men.

Peter shook his head as he stared at her. “Was the ring in the silver square box?”

“Yes,” Nat confirmed.

“That ring wasn't meant for her. It was meant for...” he sighed

“YN,” Bucky finished for him, and Peter nodded. 

“Wait, you knew about this and didn't tell me?”

“I'm sorry, but it wasn't my story to tell.”

“You wanted to marry this girl, yet you let her walk away from you. Where's the logic in that Peter? Are you an idiot?”

“I know. I screwed up.”

“Yes, you did. I don't even know YN, but from what Mer has told me; she is one helluva woman. And every time you talk about her your face brightens up like a kid on Christmas morning, even after all these years.” Peter nodded along, agreeing with everything she was saying. “You need to talk to her.”

“I know I do.”

“Sooner rather than later, Peter,” Nat stated, earning another nod from Peter. “Who knows you two might end up together again. Mer wants it to happen.”

“Really?”

“Yup, she says she's on a mission to parent trap you two,” Bucky added with a soft chuckle.

“She would say that...damn, I love that kid."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Talk about a fun spring break adventure. It seemed like they had their lives figured out, but why did they break up if they were so happy together? And do you think Meredith’s mission to parent trap them will be successful? Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

You got released from the hospital three days ago, and you were already sick of sitting at home. You cleaned the whole house from top to bottom twice since no show or book could grab your interest. And with Meredith being at school for most hours of the day, you were bored out of your mind being home alone. You wanted to go back to work but couldn’t start till next week, which meant three more days of nothing. **  
**

Somehow, you convinced your doctor and Pepper to allow Wanda to work out of the office at your house today. You finally got to do something different, even if it meant planning Peppers trip to New York next week. You and Wanda started working on it, then the accident happened, so Wanda has been working on it by herself. She was a little lost, but she managed to figure out a few things from all your random sticky notes. 

“The talent has arrived,” Wanda shouted as she entered your front door.

“I’m upstairs. I ordered Chinese for us. It should be here shortly,” you shouted from Meredith’s room upstairs.  “I’ll be down in a bit. I’m almost done folding laundry.”

“Alright, I will...” Wanda started, getting interrupted by a knock on the door. “Get the door,” she whispered to herself. She pulled open the door, digging through her wallet. “Hi, how much was it again?”

“Excuse me?” Wanda glanced up to see a guy with a confused look on his face.

“You’re not the usual morning delivery guy?”

“No...um does YN live here?” He asked as his eyebrows came together, forming a crease between them. 

“Does she owe you money?” 

“No.”

“Did she hit your car?”

“Ah...no.”

“Then, yes she lives here and who might you be?” Wanda crossed her arms across her chest, eyeing him up and down.

“Peter. I'm an old friend.” He stuck out his hand, and she shook it.

“Wanda.”

“Oh, like from the podcast?”

“Yes,” she chuckled, watching him with suspicion. “So you’re apart of the small percentage of guys who listen to it.” He shrugged with a smirk. “What can I do for you? YN is a little busy at the moment.”

“I wanted to catch up on some things. Gamora told me she would be home today since she is going back to work next week.” Peter answered, hoping to get his point across. 

“She is. Somehow she convinced the doctor to let her because she’s going insane sitting around all day.”

“She was always the busy body,” he smirked, nodding his head.

“You’re right about that, Peter.” Wanda agreed. She stared at him for a moment longer trying to place where she might’ve seen him before, or a time YN talked about him. “I'm sorry, but I have to ask Peter; YN has never mentioned anything to me about a guy named Peter.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” he stated. “There is another name you might know me by it’s…”

“How do I know you’re not some crazed stalker fan of the show?” Wanda asked, interrupting him.

“No. I’m not that at all. Trust me,” he replied, holding his hands up in front of him. “I only learned about the podcast a few weeks ago from Meredith.” 

“So, you know YN’s daughter, too?”

“Yeah, she’s a great little lady. She has her mother’s spunk and curiosity. She carries the weight of the world on her little shoulders, and puts on a brave face when she wants to be strong for everyone else,” he replied while Wanda nodded, agreeing with him half listening and half zoning out. “She’s my daughter.”

A second later, Wanda’s head snapped to him as the realization dawned on her. She stared at him, tilting her head to the side almost as if she was reading his mind. “Can you like chill for a sec,” Wanda proclaimed, slamming the door in his face and ran up the stairs. 

You put the last of Meredith’s laundry in her drawer when Wanda barged into the room out of breath. She stood with her hands clutching her knees, trying to catch her breath. “Whoa, Wanda! You alright?”

“YN, your um…your um…” She heaved, trying to catch her breath. 

“My what?”

“Star-Lord...is...downstairs.” 

“Wait, what?” You stared at her with big round eyes.

“Gamora told him to stop over,” she breathed. “Why do you have so many steps?”

“She never said--” you furrowed your brows together “--I'm...I'll be back.”

“Yeah. You go girl.” She collapsed on Meredith’s bed, pumping her fist in the air. “You get him, girl.”

You stood by the closed door, seeing a reflection through the textured glass window. He’s here. What were you going to say to him? Why didn’t Gamora tell you he was going to stop by? At least you could've better prepared and made yourself presentable. You glanced in the round mirror next to the door, trying your best to look approachable. You took a deep breath and opened the door to see Peter’s back. The small creek in the door made him turn around and smile at you. 

“Hi, YN. You’re looking better...ah...Gamora told me you’re going back to work soon, so I thought I would come to visit you before then. I wanted to check up on you anyways and thought we could catch up.”

“Is this because you found out about Meredith?”

“Yes and no. For one, I didn't know you moved to Malibu after college.”

“There’s a lot you don't know about me.” You opened the door wider, inviting him in. You walked with him to your office to get a bit more privacy even though Wanda would be holding a glass to the door regardless. Peter moved to the chair in front of the desk but waits for you to sit first. “Did you want anything to drink?”

“I'm okay. Thanks.” You nodded. “How are you feeling? I heard a little about your job at Potts of Honey producing a podcast. Sounds fun!”

“I'm doing better just tired of sitting around here all day.” You shrugged. “My job is pretty fun. Right now, I’m producing one podcast, but I'm planning on starting another one in the future.”

“I’ve listened to a few episodes, and it’s informative and funny. I also never thought of certain brands of diapers, bottles, or breast pumps being better than other brands. And how babies can be picky about what products they like and don't like. I’m learning a lot,” he smirked, eyeing you over. “I can tell you enjoy what you do. Both, you and Wanda, do a great job with what you are sharing with the world.”

“Thanks. She’s a good talent, and those are the topics people want to hear about. I'm kinda surprised you’ve listened to them,” you admitted, eyeing him over.  

“Well, I only started listening to them a couple weeks ago, so can't call me a lifelong fan.” 

“I see. Usually our demographic gears towards women, but I’m finding more men have started listening to it. I pegged you for the kind that wouldn’t.”

“I guess, there's a lot you don't know about me either,” Peter replied with an amused smirk. “I will say I am pretty fond of the Star-lord series as your fans call it.” You stared at him with wide eyes. “I am curious to why you decided to talk about us on there?”

“It’s a relatable topic. The podcast is about people sharing experiences, so I talk about what I know. I'm not going to make something up to get people to listen. Besides, it was Wanda who started it.” He chuckled, nodding his head, remembering the first episode he listened to with you on it; the not a date date. “I heard your record label became quite the overnight success story,” you inquired, hoping to get the topic off you. 

“It’s only a success because my partners are the best. If it was only me, I wouldn’t have come close to what I have been able to accomplish in this industry. It’s a crazy business, especially when you’re trying to find new talent and some can be relentless about getting noticed. Like there's this one high school girl from Queens, her boyfriend keeps calling and sending demos. It can get pretty ridiculous.”

“You should give her a shot. She might be a nice, fresh young face to add to your label.”

“You’re probably right about that. Maybe she’s worth another look.”

You heard the doorbell ring and excused yourself to get the door. You opened it, paying the delivery guy, and took everything into the kitchen. You rested your hands on the counter and took a few deep breaths to calm your nerves. This whole thing will be over soon, and then you can go back to living your life without Peter. Why is he even here? You stepped back into your office to find Peter staring at the collage of picture frames on the wall. 

“She has your spunk, you know,” Peter stated, smirking at the pictures. 

“My what?” You narrowed your eyes at him. 

“You know that...strength, curiosity and determination. Set your mind to it, and you’ll get the job done.”

“I'm not the only one she gets it from,” you confessed, forcing your favorite boyish smile onto Peter’s face. You ignored it as best you could, and pointed at one frame from her birthday party a couple of years ago.

“This was her fifth birthday, and she became obsessed with space and anything to do with it. I swear she watched every movie about space, including Despicable me.  It was a crazy time,” you smiled at the memory. 

“Mer mentioned that you never told her my name,” Peter inquired, glancing at you out of the corner of his eye.

“I didn't. I told her I used to call you Star-lord. It could be the reason she loves space so much,” you breathed with a slight smirk. “I told her everything she wanted to know about you, like how you’re a great guy with a caring heart. You love music and movies, and how you still think Footloose is the greatest movie ever.”

“It still is and will always be,” he confirmed with a straight face. “I guess what I don’t understand, is why did you only tell her the good things?”

“Why would I tell her anything different?”

“Well, the way we ended things was pretty bad.”

“If I told her the bad things and how I hated you for hurting me, she’d think I'd hate the part of her that is her father.” He nodded, realizing your reasoning. “I’m not going to brush my opinions of you on her when she didn’t even know you. I’m not going to make her think less of you because she’s never met you” You went back over to your desk, taking a seat. You let out a deep breath and bit down on your bottom lip. “Why are you here, Peter?”

“Isn’t it obvious.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Finding out I have a seven-year-old daughter from my ex’s sister, you can imagine my surprise.” You remained silent as your eyes moved to stare at the top of your desk. “I was a little freaked, to say the least. I never could keep a goldfish alive for more than a week, how was I going to keep another human being alive? I don’t know how you managed to raise her yourself, but you did. I guess I want to know, were you ever going to tell me about our daughter?”

“Yes, I was going to tell you at some point,” you paused before continuing. “I remember when Mer was about three years old, I was barely making ends meet and Gamora was doing way more than she needed, too. I was at a low point in my life, but then I got an interview at Potts of Honey and things got better. Easier,” you said, reliving the memory. “Besides I didn't want your first meeting with her to be about money. I didn’t want it to seem like I was coming after you because Walkman Records hit it big. To be honest, I wanted to accomplish something and rub it in your face,” you admitted, forcing a soft chuckle out of him. 

“Typical, YN.” He shook his head, refusing to hide the growing grin on his face. “I am proud of you and how far you’ve come in your career. You also did an amazing job raising Meredith along the way,” he admired as his smile drifted away. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for either of you.” Your eyes shot up to him.

“You have nothing to apologize for. It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you for not being there. It was my choice not to tell you about her.”

“I still feel like I owe you.”

“You don't owe me anything, Peter,” you snapped, raising your voice a bit.

“So then, why didn't you tell me about her sooner?” Peter questioned, biting his lip and keeping his eyes on you.

“I have…I have my reasons.” you sighed, looking away from him. 

“Which are?” 

“Can we not get into this right now?”

“Okay,” Peter paused, clearing his throat. “The reason I came by is I wanted to ask if um--” he sat back down, wringing his hands together “--if I could be more involved in Meredith's life. To be honest, I don’t know how to be a dad, but I don't want to be an absent father like mine was. I know it’s a lot to ask because you don’t trust me, especially with all that’s happened between us.” Peter took a deep breath before continuing, “I will take whatever I can get. Once a week, once a month, an afternoon, anything. All I want is to be apart of her life.”

You stared at him, not knowing how to answer. This surprised you. You never would’ve thought he would want to be apart of her life, let alone yours again. “Mer told me all about the little adventures you took her on while I was in the hospital,” you recalled. “It's been an earful, but every time she tells me about them, she's more excited than the last time. I can’t thank you enough for doing that. I appreciate you getting her mind off things because it’s exactly what she needed.”

“Happy I could help.” Peter nodded as a coy smile appeared on his face.

“How do you think she was doing with me being in the hospital? I mean, I got her side of the story and Gamoras, but since you spent the most time with her, you might have a better understanding.”

“I could tell at certain times it was hard on her. I don’t know if anyone else could see it, but she was scared. I mean, what little kid wouldn’t be seeing a parent like that?” Peter bit his lip, furrowing his brows at the ground. “Meredith’s a tough little girl. A lot like you in many ways. She wants to stay strong for everyone, but when it was the two of us, she was worried. I was, too.” He looked up, keeping a watchful eye on you. “All I tried to do was be there for her and do what I thought you would do in this circumstance.”

“Thanks for keeping a watchful eye on her. Gamora assumed something was going on with her, but Meredith can be hard to read sometimes,” you stated with a half shrug.

“Well, I knew her mother pretty well,” he smirked, making you shake your head at him.  

A comfortable silence fell between the two of you before you spoke up. “Mer continues to ask me about when she gets to see her daddy again." Peter's mouth twitched, trying to hide his smile. “Truth is I want you involved in her life, and since you want to be, I will not step between you two. She’s your daughter, too.” Peter broke into a full-blown grin, unable to keep the enjoyment off his face. “I was thinking instead of Mer coming to my work daycare after school, you could pick her up and hang out with her until I'm done with work. Gamora told me that worked well when I was asleep. Then after a while, you could take her one night over the weekend. Does that sound like something you would be interested in?"

“Yes, absolutely, I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. I can text you the details, and we can start next week when I go back to work?”

“Yeah, sounds perfect. Thank you.”

After showing Peter out, you and Wanda got to work finishing the final touches of Peppers trip while scarfing down Chinese food. Wanda narrowed down which store sold the most of our products and scheduled a customer meetup at that location. You scheduled appointments with the realtor to view a few properties for the new Potts of Honey facility Pepper hoped to open up in New York within the next year.

“So, that Peter guy is Meredith's dad?” Wanda asked, trying to keep her voice calm. 

“Yup,” you answered between bites, jotting down some notes for Pepper to look over. You didn’t want to make a bigger deal out of this than necessary.

“You weren’t kidding about how good-looking he is,” Wanda agreed, ignoring her work.

“Hmm.”

“Bet he looks good naked, too,” Wanda winked in your direction.

“Sure.”

“Is that all you're gonna give me is one-word replies?” You shrugged, chewing your food. “Why was he here? How does he know about Meredith? Are you going to see him again?”

You took a sip of your drink, squinting your eyes at her. “One: He wants to get to know Meredith better and become more involved in her life. Two: He's known about her ever since my accident. Gamora and I agreed, if anything ever happened to me she would tell him. Three: I will see him again.”

“I bet you two are going to fall in love again,” she squealed, clapping her hands together.

“I don't know about that.”

“You never did tell me what happened between you two.”

“It's not something I like to talk about. I will talk about all the happy moments, but the breakup is something I’d rather forget. Sure, I talked about it in one of our episodes before, but I didn’t go into much detail about it. What I said on there is the extent I will go into sharing about what happened,” you stated, and Wanda shut her mouth and got back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: They finally talked well sort of. At least it’s a start! We got a little information about Meredith's life growing up and about the reader's struggles before she got a good job. Yet, their breakup still remains a mystery. Wonder what was said in that podcast she mentioned? Did it come as a surprise that she wanted Peter in Meredith's life? Do you think they will be able to co-parent together, or will it end in another disaster? Time will tell. As always thanks for reading for those that read these notes...haha!


	9. Chapter 9

**AN:** _Flashbacks in italics and indented_  
________

Returning to work felt like a breath of fresh air. It was the start of a new work week, and you couldn’t be more excited. As you got to work figuring out topics for next week’s podcast episode, you couldn’t get the image of Peter and Mer together out of your head.

 

> _You were busy preparing lunch when there was a knock at the front door. “Mer could you get the door. My hands are a little tied up at the moment,” you called from the kitchen._

> _“Coming,” she shouted from upstairs in her bedroom. You knew who was at the door, but you wanted to see Meredith's reaction._
> 
> _You wiped your hands on a towel as you walked into the doorway of the kitchen and entryway. She pulled open the door, and Peter was kneeling to her level. “Hey Twig, I heard you missed me,” Peter winked at the little girl._
> 
> _“Daddy,” she shouted, running into his arms. Peter lifted her off the ground, holding her tight. You grinned at them, and when Peter set her down, he nodded at you. “How long are you staying?”_
> 
> _“As long as you’ll have me,” he smiled down at her._
> 
> _“Then you are joining us for lunch. Come on!” She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. “Mommy is making my favorite, spaghetti, and meatballs. You are going to love it.”_
> 
> _“Can’t wait to try it,” he grinned a playful smile at her as she continued to pull him along. Peter made eye contact with you and mouthed, “so much energy!”_
> 
> _“I know,” you mouthed back with a warm smile._

You couldn't help but smile at the memory. Peter and Meredith's exchanges were too cute to forget. There were times they would talk about a certain subject they both loved, and it could go on for hours. You didn't want to be the one to interrupt, so you sat back and listened to their rambles. Meredith’s smile seemed to shine a bit brighter, and Peter was to thank for that. There was also this twinkle in her eye, almost like she was planning something, but you couldn’t figure out what it was. It was important for Meredith to have her dad in her life, but you didn't realize maybe Peter needed his daughter in his life, too. 

When you got your head on straight and refocused on work. You opened up your email and the podcast Instagram seeing many unanswered messages. Most of them were from fans sending you get well soon messages. You loved your fans because they were so supportive of what you, Wanda, and Pepper were trying to create. You sent each of them a personal thank you and informed them when the next episode would be available. You owe everything to the fans because without them Everyday's a Monday wouldn’t have become as successful as it has. As the end of the day approached, you and Wanda snapped a quick picture together and posted it with the caption: ‘Reunited and it feels so good.'

The following day, everything was moving along smoothly, and the schedule you made with Peter couldn’t have worked better. When you went to pick up Mer from the studio the other day, you could tell she was having a great time with not only Peter but his friend Bucky, too. 

 

> _You walked into the studio for the first time and it was something else. It had posters of their latest bands becoming a success and a small newspaper clipping of Peter and Bucky buying the building. You chuckled to yourself as you walked up to the receptionist desk._
> 
> _“Hello, I am Mantis, what can I do for you today?” She asked with a forced smile._
> 
> _“I’m here to pick up Meredith.”_
> 
> _“Oh, you're Meredith’s mommy. She is so cute. She makes me want to die.” Mantis's smile widened no longer looking forced. “They’re in the recording studio to the right and straight back.”_
> 
> _“Thanks, Mantis. It was nice meeting you.”_
> 
> _You walked to the back room hearing a female’s voice singing over the speakers. She sounded good, like really good. You stood towards the back of the room and listened. Bucky and Mer sat at the soundboard with Peter standing between them. No one was singing in the booth so you figured they were listening to a demo to see how they could improve it. They were having mumbled conversations with each other while adjusting marks on the board. They added in more bass, got rid of the unnecessary background noise, and added in backup vocals. Bucky leaned back in their chairs, seeming satisfied but you hated it._
> 
> _“What do you think about the girl from Queens, Mer?” Bucky asked, glancing at her._
> 
> _“Um...” She thought it over listening to the song once more. “It doesn’t sound good.”_
> 
> _“You’re right, it sounds like shit.”_
> 
> _“Bucky, what the heck man? Sensitive ears in the room,” Peter replied, covering his hands over Mer’s ears. He shook his head at Bucky, making Mer laugh and take his hands off her ears._
> 
> _“What do you think we should do Mer?”_
> 
> _“Leave it as it was,” Mer stated. "Get rid of all that mumbo jumbo stuff you added in."_
> 
> _“So, what you’re saying, is this young lady has the perfect voice and doesn’t need any help from us?” Bucky questioned, staring at the little girl._
> 
> _“Yes.”_
> 
> _“Wow.” Bucky nodded, tossing his pencil on the soundboard. He put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his seat. “You hurt my feelings a little bit, Mer.”_
> 
> _“I’m sorry, but not everyone’s voice needs fixing. I mean there are some areas where she wasn’t perfect, but sometimes flaws help people stand out, Uncle Bucky.”_
> 
> _“Oooh, she just called you Uncle Bucky,” Peter commented, readjusting the soundboard._
> 
> _“Dang kid, I don’t think I could ever stay mad at you,” he grinned at her. “And you’re right. She has a great voice, and her flaws will make her unique. What do you think we should do next?”_
> 
> _“Listen to her in person?” Meredith questioned, unsure of herself._
> 
> _“Dang Quill, you have one smart daughter.”_
> 
> _“She gets it from her mother.”_
> 
> _“Yeah, she does,” you agreed, making yourself known as all three of them turn around._
> 
> _“How long have you been standing there?” Bucky asked, crossing his arms._
> 
> _“Long enough to know you swore in front of my daughter,” you smirked, forcing Bucky’s smirk to shift into a tight line. “Who french braided your hair, Mer? It looks so good!”_
> 
> _“Daddy did,” she squeaked out, shooting you a toothy grin._
> 
> _“Your dad was always good with his hands,” you blurted out, feeling heat rush to your face. Your eyes widened, watching Bucky shaking in his chair to keep his laugh hidden while Peter smirked at the floor, raising his eyebrows. You cleared your throat, “ready to go, Mer?”_
> 
> _“Yes. Goodbye, Daddy.” She reached over to hug Peter. “Bye, Uncle Bucky,” she said, turning around and hugging him, too._
> 
> _“See you guys tomorrow,” you waved, walking back to the entrance._

You sat at your desk researching some new product ideas, and information about different sippy cups. It was going to be the topic for the coming episode. There were tons of them, and you tried to remember the brand you used with Mer, but it was escaping your mind. 

“YN, we have a problem,” Pepper announced, rushing into your office with Wanda in tow.

“What’s the problem?”

“I'm not going to be able to go to New York this week.”

“What, why? What could be more important than expanding Potts of Honey? Everything's scheduled and ready to go. It’s a quick three-day trip.” Pepper nodded along as you continue to talk. “We have been planning this for weeks. The estate agents, developers, and toy companies are excited to meet with you.”

“I know, it’s just Morgan is getting her tonsils out, and Tony will be in Massachusetts giving a speech to the MIT students. Tony has had this planned for months, and he doesn’t want to back out on those kids. I want someone to be there with Morgan. I don’t want her going through all this by herself, and if I have to back out of this trip then so be it.”

“I understand more than anyone, but where do we go from here? These properties might get sold to the next highest bidder, and these places took us months to find.”

“I came to the same conclusion. How are we going to do this?” Pepper asked, pacing back and forth. “Well, I could…”

“No, no. You’re going to be there for Morgan,” you interrupted her, making her crack a smile. Pepper has always loved how you put family before the company, and it’s one of the reasons why she picked you for this job so many years ago. “How about this, me and Wanda go.”

“I can’t ask you to do that with everything you've been through these last couple weeks. Wanda's life is busy enough with the twins. I can’t make you two do this.”

“You’re not, I’m volunteering.”

“Me too,” Wanda agreed.

“Besides, this is our best chance at finally expanding this company into another facility. We found some of the best locations after months of research and now is the best time for this to happen. Plus, it would bring jobs into this new community and help out moms in need like we did here in Malibu. And we could snatch up more listeners with our podcasts.”

“How do you plan on doing that?”

“I know of one dedicated listener in the New York City area, who has been with us since the beginning, and I know she would make the perfect guest for our next episode. She’s a stay at home mom with three kids, and her husband travels for his job. We could do the episode while we’re in New York.”

“I don’t know. It’s a three-day trip. I can’t ask you to leave Meredith and Wanda with her twins.”

“So what! It will be good for Vis to watch the kids by himself for a few days, and I am sure YN could find someone to watch Meredith.” She wiggled her eyebrows at you.

“You sure about this?” Pepper asked as you both nodded. “YN, you know what I’m looking for with this new facility, and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to call.”

“I know, I’ve been with you since the beginning. You like what I like,” you said.

“This is true.” She nodded. “Okay, good, everything's good to go. I’ll owe you two big time for this.” She added before walking out of the room. 

“Yes, we get to go to New York,” Wanda cheered, making you roll your eyes. “I am going to call Vis, and you should call your man. I bet he would love to watch Meredith for you,” she smiled, leaving the room.

Wanda wasn’t wrong. You knew Gamora would be too busy, and it would be asking a lot with everything she did for you while you were in the hospital. Could ask Nebula, but she is still out of town, and you didn’t want to drag her back home for a three-day trip. This left Peter. 

You weren't sure if Peter was ready to experience how taking care of a little girl for three straight days can wear a person out.  This would be over a weekend, so he would have to keep her entertained. And you still had to get in touch with Laura to make sure she was okay with being on the podcast. You leave in two days, so here’s hoping you could get it all sorted out by then.

It was a little past two, and you were able to get ahold of Laura, and she was more than happy to do an episode on her farm. She was pretty excited about it, and you were ready to hear her story. Pepper convinced Tony to let us take his second private jet, which was convenient and exciting. Now all you had left to do was call Peter. You clicked on his name in your phone and listened to the line ring. You thought it would go to voicemail, but then he picked up.

“Hello, YN. Hello, are you there?” Peter answered with noise blaring in the background.

“Hey, Peter.”

“Can you hang on for a second? I need to get to a quieter room.” You hummed in response, and soon, the noise faded away. “So, what’s up? Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Never better. Listen, I have a favor to ask you.”

“Ask away.”

“This is short notice, but I have to go to New York for work on Thursday, and I won’t be back until Sunday. Any chance you would be available to watch Mer those days?” You didn’t hear anything on the other line, so you continued. “I’ll understand if you can’t because it's last minute. My boss, Pepper, her daughter needs to get surgery, and…”

“I’ll do it.” 

“Wait, you will,” you replied, shocking yourself with his words. 

“Of course. I'll have to move some things around, but it shouldn't be a problem. Besides, I know how important this job is to you.”

“Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”

“You’re welcome. I think you deserve a little vacation time anyways even if it is for work.”

You smirked at his words. “I have to get back to work, but I'll let you know what is happening when I pick up Mer tonight.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you then, YN.”

“Bye, Peter. Thank you again.” You hung up, unable to keep the smile off your face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Their relationship seems to be going well so far, but will it last? Do you think Peter be able to survive three whole days with Meredith or do you think he will need some help? You all got to learn a bit more about Potts of Honey and what they do as a company. Let me tell yeah, it took forever to come up with that name..haha! Anyways, thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

_**AN:**  Podcast in Italics & Flashbacks are in italics and indented._

________

You and Wanda arrived in New York City mid-morning on one of Stark Industries private jets. You couldn’t believe the amount of legroom and the amazing breakfast they offered. With an eventful morning laid out, you wondered how Peter and Mer’s morning was going after you dropped her off last night.

> _“If you have any questions, or problems don’t hesitate to call me,” you told Peter as you stood in the doorway.  
>  _
> 
> _“I know,” he smirked. “But I don’t think it will be too difficult.”_
> 
> _“You say that now,” you chuckled, making him crack his boyish smile. “See you on Sunday when I get back.”_
> 
> _“See you then. Be safe.” Peter came in for a hug, surprising you. You felt awkward and tense, but as soon as he tightened his hold, you melted into him. You closed your eyes, remembering how his hugs always made you feel better. And on the plus side, he smelt amazing._
> 
> _You pulled away, glancing up at him. He was gazing down at you with his green eyes making your stomach flutter and heartbeat a little faster. You felt a blush rush to your cheeks as you glanced at a giggling Mer beside you. You waved goodbye them before you walked back to your car._
> 
>  

You and Wanda met up with the real estate agent at the airport and traveled to the four properties you were looking at. The agent answered all your questions, which helped you narrow the list down to two properties. One was located right outside the city while the other was a little further upstate. **  
**

The site right outside the city was a good space and area to start a business. The only downside was that there was no room to grow. If this business wasn’t already successful, you would say yes, but this company has been thriving for the past three years. This space would work for a couple of years, but if Potts of Honey continued to make a profit, we would need more room to expand. 

The property further upstate was near their sister company, Stark Industries. This choice made the most sense with it having more space than the one in the city, so there was always room to expand. Go big and then downsize if need be. You would always think the other way around, but with Potts of Honey already being a success, you thought it was worth the risk to go big.  You were positive Pepper would agree with you, but if not, you still took notes to share with her from the other site as well. 

When you and Wanda got back to the hotel, you were ready to get in touch with Pepper. It was going to be a long conversation, so you decided to check in on Peter and Mer first. It was early evening in Malibu but figured it was best to say goodnight early rather than later. You clicked on Peter’s contact and then clicked FaceTime.

"Mommy," she greeted with her face close to the camera before moving it away. “Hi, how is New York?”

"Hey, Mer. Haven’t seen much of it yet, but I hope I can see more of it tomorrow. I wanted to check in to see how things are before I get back to work. What are you doing?”

"Watching this documentary about Mars." She flipped the camera view so you could see. "It's a good one so far." She flipped the camera back, and you could see her eyes glued to the screen. 

“Sounds fun! Did you finish your homework?”

“Yes, Bucky and dad helped me with it.” She glanced at the phone before her eyes shifted back to the tv screen, making you smile. 

“Where's your dad at?"

"I'll get him. He’s in the shower." She jumped off the sofa as you heard commercials start playing on the television. 

"Mer,” you tried to get her attention, but she couldn't hear you. “Meredith,” you shouted a little louder, but you saw her turn the camera view to her walking down the hallway to a door. “Meredith, I don't need to see him right this second, I can wait till he is out of the shower."

Mer put her hand on the doorknob and turned it, opening the bathroom door. You see Peter stepping out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist, and he stared at Mer with huge eyes.

“MEREDITH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?”

“Mom FaceTimed us and wants to talk to you,” she replied in a small voice, holding out the phone to him, and he takes it.

"YOU CAN’T JUST BARGE--" he takes a deep breath to calm his voice "--you can't barge in here while I'm in the shower, okay? Please knock every time a door's closed in this house, and wait till I tell you to come in. I don't want to traumatize you…...do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?” Peter asked in a stern voice.

“Yes, I will knock every time a door is closed." She dipped her head. 

Peter continued to impress you. You didn't think he had it in him to discipline her like he did. You thought he would let her walk all over him, and get away with everything, but you were wrong. 

“Okay, good.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled in a small voice. You could see her in the frame staring at the floor as she rocked back and forth on her heels. She nodded to herself before she walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Peter reversed the camera and looked at you. His hair was damp laying in all directions like he toweled dried it. “Did I fuck up? Is she going to hate me now because I yelled at her?”

“No, Peter. It’s called being a parent and setting boundaries. You did good,” You praised him as he sighed, closing his eyes. “I thought you would let her walk all over you, but I’m impressed by what you did.”

“Really?” His eyes shot opened to look at you. “I sorta feel bad about it,” he admitted as his eyes drifted closed, letting out a big sigh.

“Welcome to parenthood. If you’re worried about it, talk with her and make sure she understands.”

“Okay. Yeah. I can do that.” He nodded. 

"How are things otherwise?"

"So far so good," he said, opening the bathroom door and taking a quick peek in the direction of the living room.  He bit his lip as he walked the other way towards his bedroom and shut the door behind him. 

“Do you have any questions? Otherwise, I was going to say goodnight to Mer before I get back to work.”

“I do have one since you asked.” He laid down on his bed, holding his arm straight out, looking at you in his phone while rubbing his eyes with his other hand. “Why is Mer’s math so hard? Me and Buck were struggling, but we think we figured it out.”

You chuckled at him, making him crack a smile. “She's in a higher grade level for math because last summer she worked on it every day wanting to get better. She says if she wants to work for NASA, she needs to start now. I forgot to tell you that,” you mentioned, watching him pinch the bridge of his nose and shake his head. 

“Mer sure is ambitious. At her age, I was doing everything but homework,” he smirked.

“Tell me about it. When I was her age, I was trying to decide what doll to play with.” You both laughed. 

Peter sat up, running his hand through his hair, and you couldn’t help but notice the size of his bicep. He must’ve started working out a lot these past few years because he definitely bulked up. It’s not that he didn’t look good before because you always found him attractive even before you started dating him. His looks always got him the girls, but it was his charming yet dirty-minded personality that could always make you laugh. 

He turned out to be one of your best friends after he slipped you that note during class. You were never afraid to knock him off his pedestal when he got overconfident, but it did bother you how he could go from one girl to the next without batting an eye. It shouldn’t have got to you like it did, and your boyfriend, Yon, at the time, had no problem pointing out his jealousy towards Peter. He hated Peter. He hated how much you talked about him and how you always brought him up in conversation. He soon grew tired of it and broke up with you. This made you realize how much you really did care about Peter, but you weren't sure if it was worth all the risk. A couple weeks after your breakup, Peter took you on your first not a date date, and you took a chance on him only to end up getting hurt. 

There was a soft knock on the door and Peter head shot in that direction. “Come in.” 

"Daddy, can I say goodnight to Mommy before she goes back to work?"

”Yes and thanks for knocking, Twig." He looked at the camera. "YN, I'll talk to you later. Here's your favorite daughter.”

“Bye, Peter.”

Peter handed his phone over to her, and Mer made her way out of his room. You could see Peter behind her on the camera, and your eyes couldn't help but drift down his muscular frame. You gulped, shaking your head as you tried to refocus once you heard your daughter talking. 

“Mommy, do you think Daddy is mad at me for not knocking before.”

“No. He was thinking as a concerned parent. He’s new to this, and he's scared you hated him too for yelling at you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, he is still trying to figure out the ‘dad stuff.’ He wants you to knock because that’s the polite thing to do. Understand, Mer?” 

“Yes, I understand. I will make sure to tell him he is doing a good job before bedtime.”

“He will like that,” you smiled at her. “I am going to have to let you go through and get back to work.” 

“Okay, goodnight, Mommy. Love you.”

“Love you, too. Goodnight.”

You hung up the phone and didn’t know why you felt so worried about this whole situation. Peter had everything under control, and Mer was on her best behavior. 

As if on Q, Pepper was calling you for a video chat ready to discuss the properties. It ended up being a quick discussion because she agreed with you on your choice. She liked the idea of having the Stark Industries and Potts of Honey close to each other. It made sense to her, and the idea of expanding without having to move made this decision easy. Both of you discussed what the next play would be, and Pepper agreed to put an offer in tomorrow to see if they took it. If all went as planned, Pepper would make sure a contract was written up before your departure so you could sign the paperwork.

_________

_“Hey listeners, I am happy to inform you that I’m back along with my amazing quiet co-host YN, who is sitting a few feet away from me, shaking her head. Where’s the whiteboard now?”_ Wanda let out an evil laugh.  _“For today's episode, we are on location a few hours outside New York City in the dining room of one of our dedicated listeners since the beginning, Mrs. Laura Barton. She is a mother of three talking about her daily routine, her husband's traveling job, and how she stays sane when her husband is away on business. We will also be talking sippy cups. Exciting stuff! Who knows maybe we will dabble into YN’s life again to tell us another life lesson or something about our favorite Star-lord. And that comment earned an eye roll from her. Q intro music.”  
_

_“Hi Laura, welcome to our podcast, and thanks for letting us take over your dining room for the day,”_ Wanda greeted her with a warm smile. 

It's always fun to watch Wanda in action. She’s such a cheery person and can make anyone feel comfortable in a matter of seconds after meeting them. She is super quick-witted and has so much energy for a mother of twins, but the coffee and tea must help. You hired Wanda for the same reason Pepper hired you; she wouldn’t let this job run her life, and her family would always come first.

_“It’s no problem. Thanks for having me,”_ Laura said into her mic as you readjusted her volume.  _“I hope we can get this done before Nathaniel, my 1-year-old, wakes up from his nap. Wishful thinking.”_  She smiled, crossing her fingers. 

_“Wishful thinking indeed, so let’s dive right into it then. How long have you been living on this cute farm?”_

_“Me and my husband, Clint, bought this farmyard about 10 years ago and…”_

 

_“I appreciate you letting us come here on such short notice, but this was such a fun talk. Your advice on sippy cups spoke the truth all parents wonder. Every child is different and every child likes different things. You don’t know what sippy cup your child will like until they try them. Easy as that folks!” **  
**_

_“Yup. At least that’s how I did it,”_  Laura chuckled.  _“If you think about it sippy cups are like coffee mugs because you will always choose your favorite if it’s clean while the others sit in the cabinet. At least that’s what my husband does all the time.”_

_“Perfect explanation.”_

_“I think we should move on and hear what YN’s going to share this week.”_

_“Wow. Smooth transition, Wanda. Letting the guest introduce me and get me to talk. Now, I would look like a bitch if I didn’t join in now.”_

_“The guests are never wrong. For all of you wondering YN has scooted over a chair to join us and is ready to tell all,”_ Wanda whispered into her mic, making you roll your eyes.  _“In case some of you are not active viewers of our Instagram. YN was in an accident recently that caused her to slip into a coma for eight days. I can tell you today that she is healthy and feeling better and I'm glad to have her back. How are you feeling since you've been back home and returned to work?”_

_“I’m not the type of person that likes sitting around and not doing anything. If I sit too long and do nothing, it can drive me crazy. Don’t get me wrong I like relaxing and sleeping in, but when your doctor tells you to do it, you don’t want to.”_

_“If you don’t mind me asking, do you remember anything about the accident?”_ Laura questioned.

_“I don’t. The doctors told me my memories could come back, but there's a good chance they won’t because my brain blocked it out. It was traumatic, so I don’t know if I would want to remember it.”_

_“I know I wouldn’t want to relive that moment either,”_ Laura commented.

_“Did anything interesting happen after the accident?”_ Wanda asked, making you narrow your eyes at her.  

_“Yes. Actually, there was. My sister, Gamora, ended up helping a lot while I was asleep and…”  
_

_“Who else helped,”_ Wanda interrupted as you stared hard at her. 

_“Star-lord,”_ you confessed, rolling your eyes.

_“WHATTT!”_ Laura blurted out with her wide eyes staring at you.  _“You told him.”_

_“Sort of. It's complicated. All I will say is he knows and wants to be more involved.”_

_“Are you scared of falling for him again? Your previous stories make him out to be a great guy,”_  Laura chimed in.

You ignore her first question.  _“He is a great guy, but it didn't end in all rainbows and unicorns like I have touched upon in a previous episode.”_

_“What did he think about having a child he knew nothing about?"_  Wanda inquired.

_“Shocked but like a good shock. If it wasn't, I don't know why he would want to still be a part of her life now after finding out."_

_“I could see that. Meredith’s an awesome little lady. How is she with him?”_

_“Meredith’s excited to have him in her life. When I was in the hospital, I guess they hung out a lot since my sister couldn't watch her the whole time. Then, when I watched them interact, it was adorable. It's like they have always known each other. And she’s so forgiving, and he’s so honest with her.”_

_“Awwwwww. I love men who love their babies. When I see Vis interact with the twins, it warms my heart,”_  Wanda admitted with her hand over her heart.

_“I have to say I agree with you both,”_  Laura grinned, nodding her head.  _“When Clint is home, he spends as much time as he can with the kids. He has been teaching Lila archery, Cooper about carpentry, and reads this huge stack of books to Nathaniel. He is an all-around good dad, but after bedtime, he is all mine.”_ She winked, forcing you and Wanda to laugh. 

_“Isn’t that the best time though,”_ Wanda teased.  _“Anyways, that’s the end of this week’s episode. Thanks to Laura for joining us this week and to the listeners for listening to our podcast. If you like this podcast, please rate, comment, and subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. As always stay classy listeners. Wanda, signing off.”_

You pushed stop on the microphones and the recorder. You glanced over your shoulder to see both women smiling at you.

“Are you and Star-Lord going to be shacking up and getting friendly again?” Laura joked, taking off her headset. 

“No, I don't think so. I promised myself I wouldn't date until Mer gave the okay.”

“Oh please, you and her daddy back together again. She’ll make sure it happens,” Wanda added. **  
**

“She's seven, not a love expert.”

“She’s seven and three quarters,” Wanda corrected. “I'll teach her some tricks.”

“No, you will not."

“Booo, fine!” Wanda sighed, forcing a soft chuckle out of Laura. 

“You’re going to see him again, Wanda, so I wouldn’t worry about showing her any tricks.” Her eyes perked up at you wanting to know more. “He’s going to be picking her up from school every day instead of her going to daycare. He’ll probably swing by and drop her off on evenings when I work late.”

“Wait…..Wanda has actually seen him. Did you at least snap a picture of him, Wanda?”

“Next time and I will send it to you.”

“Oh my god, are you two done?” You scoffed, making them laugh.  

Nathaniel started to cry over the baby monitors, and Laura stood up. “Duty calls. I’ll be back shortly.” She smiled, leaving the room and heading upstairs.  

“You know who I would love to have on the show,” Wanda smirked.

“Who?”

“Star-lord.”

“Hell no. That's never gonna happen.”

“Time will tell.”

 

After saying goodbye to Laura, you both headed back to your shared hotel suite. Wanda passed out on her bed as soon as she hit the pillow, but you decided to take a long relaxing bath in the huge tub. You turned on the faucet and filled it up, dropping in one of the hotel bath bombs. It fizzled and rotated, turning the water pink. As soon as the bath bomb disappeared, your phone started ringing. You glanced at the screen, surprised to see Peter calling, but also worried something might be wrong. It was only an hour before Mer would get let out of school.

“Hey Peter, is everything okay?”

“Yeah yeah, everything’s fine,” Peter confirmed. “I wanted to call and see how your work trip is going?”

“It’s good, so far. Busy. Lots of driving. Like today, we did a podcast episode a few hours out of the city, so now we're hanging out at the hotel. Did you need some adult communication?”

“Yes, I mean Bucky is technically an adult, but he acts like a child when Meredith's around.” You laughed, making him left out a soft chuckle. “She mentioned something about you finding a property for a new facility Potts of Honey is opening up in New York?”

“Yeah, well we checked out a few properties the other day. It wasn’t too exciting, but Pepper feels like it is time to expand and I agree with her. Tomorrow, I have to sign the contract for the property because they reached a deal today, so things are moving along fast.”

“That's good though. Maybe you'll get a promotion after this."

“I don’t know about that.”

“Didn't you help her build Potts of Honey from nothing?”

“Yeah, sort of.” You let out a breathy chuckle. “Did I ever tell you the story of how I got the job?

“No, but I’d love to hear it,” he yawned.

> _It was the day of your interview for a new position at Potts of Honey, the sister company of Stark Industries. With Meredith not feeling well you decided not to take her to daycare instead had Gamora watch her until you finished the interview. It was a scheduled interview, so you knew you would get in and out fast._
> 
> _Walking into the waiting room, you expected to see a few people, but instead, there was at least ten still waiting to get interviewed. They wore freshly pressed suits and had smooth resumes in their hands, unlike your resume that had two creases from folding it and putting it in your purse. Also, you were positive your suit jacket had spit up on it at one point because there was a light stain on your left shoulder. How did you miss that?_
> 
> _You went up to the lady working at the desk telling her your name. She smiled and told you to take a seat and wait for your name to get called. You sat down and watched person after person go in for their interview. Peeking at your watch, you noticed it was almost two hours after your scheduled time, and you were beginning to worry about Meredith and Gamora. Your phone started vibrating in your pocket, and you glanced at the screen, answering it._
> 
> _“Gamora is everything okay?”_
> 
> _“I know you're still waiting to get interviewed, but her temperature went up, and she won’t stop crying. I don’t know what to do?”_
> 
> _“Um, okay, I’ll...”_
> 
> _“Ms. YN LN,” a woman called in front of her office, recognizing her as Virginia Potts-Stark._
> 
> _“Gamora, I’m on my way. I’ll be there soon.” You walked up to Virginia and shook her hand. “Hi, I’m YN LN.”_
> 
> _“Lovely to meet you. I’m Virginia Stark, but you can call me Pepper. If you’ll follow…”_
> 
> _“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”_
> 
> _“Excuse me?” She asked, furrowing her brows together._
> 
> _“My daughter is sick at home, and right now, she’s more important to me than this job interview. Again, I’m sorry to have wasted your time._
> 
> _“Oh. Of course, go home and take care of your daughter,” she smirked, giving you a slight nod._

“And I walked away from the most important job interview in your life,” you admitted to Peter.

“How did you get the job if you never interviewed?”

“Funny thing…”

> _You were in your room at your sister’s house, rubbing your daughters back after taking her to the doctor. The doctor gave you some medicine to help treat the infection and her earache. After a long day, she was fast asleep. This day was a mess, and your interview was a disaster. It wasn’t even an interview, but it was one fucked up mess. You stared up at the ceiling, when you heard your phone vibrating on your night stand. You didn’t recognize the number but decided to answer anyway._
> 
> _“Hello.”_
> 
> _“Is this Ms. YN LN?”_
> 
> _“Yes, may I ask who this is?”_
> 
> _“Pepper. I’m calling you tonight to inform you that you got the job.”_
> 
> _“Excuse me, but you must have the wrong number. I didn’t even interview. “_
> 
> _“You didn’t have to. When you told me your daughter was sick and needed to leave right away, you didn’t even hesitate for a second. You mentioned your daughter was more important than your interview, and I realized something. Most people who work in big corporations put their jobs first and their families second. Knowing you care about your family, you’ll never let this job take over your life, and you will always put family first. I want this for my company. I want a family-first mentality, and you’re the person I need to help me do it.”_
> 
> _“Are you sure? You don't even know anything about me."_
> 
> _“Trust me, I did my research. You’re a single mother trying to make ends meet. You have some business experience and a communication and media studies degree. You're more than qualified, and I know you’d be perfect for the job if you want it.”_
> 
> _“I’ll take it.”_

“You're Incredible--” Peter cleared his throat “--I mean that's incredible,” he mumbled.

“Thanks, Peter, but you sound exhausted. You might need a nap before you pick Mer up from school. Trust me she can wear out anyone who watches her.”

“I'm discovering that.” He let out a breathy chuckle. “And tomorrow is going to be super crazy.”

“Weekends are the craziest,” you smiled. “Thanks for the call. Think I needed some adult time, too."

He chuckled. “Glad I could help. I’ll see you, YN.”

“See you Sunday, Pete.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We got to learn a little bit more about the reader’s life in college with Peter and found out she was dating someone before him. Shocking! And it seems like their relationship is slowly improving, but will it last? And it seems like Peter is finally figuring out his ‘dad stuff,’ even if there were a few mishaps along the way! What do you all think about Wanda? I wanted to make her more charismatic and sarcastic, which she isn't in the movies, but I feel if she was happy and with Vis and her friends she would be. Thanks for reading! 


	11. Chapter 11

On the flight back to California, you kept replaying the weekend over in your head. Saturday was a busy day filled with meeting fans and having a Q&A at a local coffee shop. Wanda and you were both surprised with the turnout, and the fans had a ton of questions. Some were about your children, products you’ve used, tips, and of course, a couple of questions about Star-lord. For the fun of it, you decided to record the event and upload it to the podcast page once you got back. 

After the meet and greet, you and Wanda did a little exploring, like stopping at a few toy shops that sold Potts of Honey products. You walked through Central Park and stopped at a few souvenir shops and bought a little gift for Mer. It was a fun and productive trip. 

Peter promised to keep Meredith for a few hours longer after you got back, so you could get stuff settled at home before he dropped her off. You put in some laundry, vacuumed, and sat down at your desk to get some work done.

 

A sharp, dull pain shot up the back of your neck as you let out a groan and opened your eyes. Ugh...what time was it? You lifted your head off your desk and noticed a piece of paper sticking to your face. You sighed, pulling it off and stretching your neck back and forth. You heard Meredith’s unique laugh, coming from the kitchen, they must’ve got here while you were sleeping in that uncomfortable position. You walked out of your office, letting out a long yawn that made your eyes water. 

“Daddy, you're gonna burn the grilled cheese. Mommy won’t eat them if you burn them.” You stepped up to the kitchen doorway and leaned against it.

“It will be fine, Twig. It’s hard to burn a grilled cheese, and the tomato soup is going to be delicious,” Peter replied, standing over the stove with Mer sitting on the counter beside him.

“It’s from a can. You can’t mess that up,” she blurted out, forcing a chuckle out of him. 

“I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He leaned in close to her.  “Your mother burnt tomato soup once,” he said, making Mers mouth drop open.

“In my defense, I got distracted. It happens,” you confessed, making yourself known. Peter turned around, shooting you with his boyish smirk as Mer jumped off the counter and ran over to you. 

“Mommy!” Mer jumped into your arms, and you held her close. You tighten your grip around her, squeezing your eyes shut. “I missed you!”

“I missed you, too.” 

“Did you get me anything?” Mer asked with innocent eyes as you two pulled apart. 

“How about you go get my bag from the living room, and I’ll show you,” you told her, making her eyes light up and take off to the other room. You stood up, watching her leave with a side smirk on your face. 

“I’m happy you’re home, too,” Peter nodded as you turned around. “She can be a handful on the weekends. Whew!” 

“I tried to tell you,” you chuckled. “I hope you were able to keep her under control.” You stepped to the other side of the room to stir the tomato soup. Peter licked his lips, keeping a watchful eye on you. “I want to thank you for watching her again.”

“It’s the least I could do after everything.” He cleared his throat, biting his lip.  “I figured cooking you both dinner would be a good idea since you were passed out in your office.” You punch him on his bicep, feeling your face heat up. 

“Got your bag,” Mer grunted, dragging it into the kitchen. You leaned down and opened it, handing her a stuffed teddy bear with ‘I <3 NY’ sewed on the belly. “I love it,” Mer squealed, holding it tight to her chest. She rushed over to Peter and hopped back on the counter. “What do you think, daddy?”

“I’m jealous I didn’t get one,” he smirked at you as Mer giggled next to him. “As I was saying, YN. You go relax. Me and Mer will finish cooking dinner.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.” Peter turned back to the stove and flipped the grilled cheese. You walked out of the kitchen and took a chair at the dining table in the next room over. You weren’t one to eavesdrop, but Peter was so sweet to her you couldn’t help but listen in. 

“I told you! I knew you were going to burn the grilled cheese. It’s like you got distracted or something,” Mer joked, making you crack a smile across your face.  “Are you going to join us for dinner, Daddy?”

“Wish I could, Twig, but turns out I have to go to New York tonight for a day or so.”

“Awww, man,” she complained, letting out a loud sigh. “That means I have to go to daycare with all those babies!”

"I'm sorry," he breathed a soft chuckle. "I think you can survive a day or two.”

“I don’t know, dad. You don’t know what it’s like in there. It changes a person,” she stated with a straight face, forcing him to shake his head unable to stop the smile gracing his lips. “What is in New York?”

"I'm going to listen to the girl from Queens, she's playing at a local coffee shop there. I remember a certain little girl mentioning how we should listen to her live-in person and see if she is as good as her demos are."

“Yesss! She’s so amazing.” 

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, it was kind of a last-minute decision."

"It's okay, Dad," Mer replied in a comforting tone.

“Would you mind buttering some more bread since I burnt this one?” 

“On it, Grilled Cheese Burner.”

 

You returned to work, and things couldn’t have been busier. It was a crazy week so far, and it felt like it was flying by. The schedule you and Peter created was working out like a charm. You couldn't believe how much easier it was when two parents were involved. You hated to admit it to yourself, but you loved observing their interactions. You felt yourself falling for him all over again, and you hated how fast it was happening. What if you get hurt again? What would happen? How would you move on? He knew about Mer now so he would continue to be in your life. But damn, he was so good with her and it only made him more irresistible.  

You got off work early and decided to go to the studio to pick Mer up. She wanted to ask Peter to the father-daughter dance happening on Friday, but she was nervous. You figured if you left work early, you could help her build up a little extra courage and ask him herself. 

Walking into the studio, you waved at Mantis, and she pointed to the offices to the left while she continued talking on the phone. You nodded, making your way to Peter and Bucky’s office. You stopped by the doorway, seeing Peter and Mer playing together. A sincere smile formed on your lips, watching them interact.

“Hi, my name's Korg,” Peter said in a gruff accent, shaking the toy. “I run this place around here. What's your name?" 

“Daddy, you're so funny,” she giggled, leaning into his side. You didn’t miss the heartfelt smile that spread across his face. It wasn’t hard to notice that Peter enjoyed being a dad. He loved spending time with her, and he was turning out to be a great father. 

“Hi, YN.”

“OH SHIT!”  You held your hand to your chest, turning around. “Hey, Bucky.”

“I’m sorry. I thought you heard me,” he chuckled, coming to stand next to you.

“I didn’t.” You punched him on his arm. “I forgot how sneaky you can be.”

“One of my many skills,” he smirked, glancing into his shared office.

“Mommy!” Mer came running at you and wrapped her little arms around your legs, pulling them into a hug. You leaned over, patting her back.

“How was school?”

“It was so much fun. My math is starting to get challenging, and I like it.”

“What like it isn’t challenging enough already,” Bucky mumbled beside you.

“That’s great. Why don’t you go pack your things, and we’ll go have dinner at Auntie Gam’s tonight?”

“Yes…okay,” She paused, chewing on her bottom lip. “Uncle Bucky, I’m gonna need your help, come with me.” She grabbed his hand, forcing a laugh out of him as she pulled him along to get her bag. 

“Hey,” Peter greeted, walking up to you. “How are things coming along at Potts of Honey?”

“It’s good. We’re hoping to start building on the New York property in the next month or so. It's all happening really fast.  And turns out, the podcast is more successful than we thought it was on the east coast.” 

“Yeah, I listened to that Q&A podcast you did at that cafe. It was fun to listen to. You and Wanda are inspiring so many people.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Are you kidding? You’re incredible at what you do.” 

“Thanks,” you gushed, feeling a blush tint your cheeks.

“And the whole New York facility sounds exciting, too. You're something else, YN,” he confessed. “Do you know who is going to be running it once everything gets settled?”

“I don’t know. That’s a good question. I haven't....” Meredith interrupted you as she ran down the hallway shouting with her backpack strapped on tight. 

“MOM, I AM READY TO GO!” 

Saying quick goodbyes to Mantis and Peter, you and Mer headed out to your car. You buckled yourself in and watched Mer strap herself into her car seat from the rearview mirror.

“Did you ask your dad if he wanted to go to the dance?”

“Um…no. He wouldn’t want to go to some stupid kid thing anyways,” she sighed, looking out the window.

“You don't know that,” you replied, unbuckling your seatbelt. “You know what, we're not leaving till you ask him...let's go back inside?”

“No, I don’t want to.”

“Yes, you do. I know you do,” you said, turning around in your seat. “I'm not asking him for you. You’re a big girl. You can do this.” She shook her head, staring at the front seat. You stepped out of the car and opened her door. “He will say yes, but only if you ask him.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m your mother. Now come on, Meredith.”

“Finnnne,” she whined, unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out of the car. 

“Hey, Peter,” you greeted, walking back through the entrance. He glanced in your direction as he leaned against the front desk, chatting with Mantis. “Mer wanted to ask you something? She’s nervous you might already have plans, but she has been wanting to ask you for a while now.”

“Is that right? Okay. Hey, Twig.” He walked over and leaned down in front of her putting his hands on her shoulder.  “What is it? You know you can ask me anything right. No matter what it is.”

She looked at you standing next to her, and you nodded. “Did you want to go to this father-daughter dance at my school on Friday night?”

“Friday you say--” he hummed, thinking it over “--I’d love to go! I’ll have to rearrange some things, but I’ll be there.” She smiled and wrapped him into a hug. He put his arms around her little frame and squeezed her tight before pulling away. “Do I have to wear a tux?

“Yes,” she giggled and hugged him again. You smiled down at them. “Do you promise?” She asked, holding up her pinky finger.

“I promise, Twig.” He hooked his pinky with hers and swung it around, forcing a loud giggle out of her.

“Now let's get going, Gamora is waiting for us. I'll text you about the dance details, Peter, and figure out a game plan.”

He nodded. “Sounds good, YN. See you two ladies tomorrow.”

Mer smile, waving goodbye. “Love you, daddy,” she shouted before walking out the door. 

“Love you, too, Twig.”

“She is so cute, Peter.” Mantis commented.

“She is going to be a heartbreaker when she grows up,” he smirked, resting his elbows back on the front desk. Mantis chuckled, agreeing with him.

“When are you going to tell her the truth?” Nat asked, walking into the room.

“Excuse me?” Peter questioned, looking up from the paperwork in front of him.

“About how I work here." She twirled her finger in the air. "I hate hiding when she comes in. It's ridiculous how after all these years you still don't have the balls to tell her what happened.”

“It's a sensitive subject." He furrowed his brows together. "Besides, I don't want to ruin what I have been trying to rebuild with her.”

“You think this will ruin everything. You’re an idiot. This will clear everything up beside when I was watching the security cameras I could tell she’s still into you,” Nat added, crossing her arms.

He scoffed. “I doubt it. I mean, she...she doesn't even want to talk about what happened.”

“She's trying to protect herself, doofus. She doesn’t want to relive what she went through because it was hard on her, especially because she was pregnant.”

“In my defense, I didn’t know about that part,” Peter stated, forcing Nat to roll her eyes. “When the time is right I will tell her, but not right now!”

“Fine, but now is the right time.” He shrugged, chewing on his lip. “Buck and I are going to dinner soon, did you want to come?”

“No, I should stay here and catch up on some things.” Nat nodded at him as she walked back to her office. 

Peter smiled at the paperwork in front of him thinking about the father-daughter dance. Would he still be able to fit into the silver tux he bought forever ago? Does he get her a corsage? Or a bouquet? Sure, he would have to cancel his plans with Bereet, but that was an easy fix, and she’d understand, right? Peter’s mind continued to be filled with questions, but there was one that lingered in the back of his mind. Was Nat right about YN? Did she still have feelings for him? Nat has always been super observant, so could she be right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww...now who's excited about this dance! The reader might be catching feelings, but how long will it take for her to realize he might feel the same? Slow burn, am I right? Nat seems to know the truth about why they broke up...hmmm...I wonder what it could be? As always thanks for reading, and if you feel like it, give it some kudos!


	12. Chapter 12

It was the day of the dance, and Peter agreed to meet at the school that evening. Peter was texting you all morning about how nervous and excited he was for tonight. He even went out of his way and bought a small corsage for her, and to your surprise, it matched her dress. 

“Are you ready to go, sweetie?” You asked, watching her twirl around in her sleeveless cream-colored dress with a ruffled top. As she came to a stop, her dress flowed to the floor covering her sneakers, she insisted on wearing. 

“Yes.”

“You look beautiful, Mer. That dress looks so good on you,” Gamora complimented, admiring her dress. 

“Thanks, Auntie. Do you think my dad will like it?”

“He is going to love it, and if he doesn’t, I’ll beat him up for you.” Gamora winked, forcing a giggle out of Mer.  

You and Mer get into the car and head to school saying goodbye to Gamora. You hated to admit it, but you couldn't wait to see Peter in a tux again. The last time you remembered him wearing a tux was when you went on vacation for spring break senior year. He wore this silver suit with a white undershirt and black tie. He looked damn good.

You walked into the gym with Mer clutching your hand. It felt like you were transported to space. You glanced over at Mer, who was wearing a huge smile on her face and had a certain sparkle in her eyes. Lights trickled down from the ceiling and hung on the walls. On one side of the gym was a big Earth with the DJ set up in front of it while the opposite wall had a half-moon with a father-daughter photo opp. There was even a black sparkly runway that led to the dance floor in the center of the gym. The decorating committee outdid themselves with the theme; To the Moon and Back.

It was Mer’s first father-daughter dance, and she couldn't contain her excitement. You both walked around looking at the decorations as you tried to find Peter, but he was nowhere to be found. You told him to be here at seven o’clock sharp, and it was a quarter past seven. Where was he? You and Mer sat on the bleachers to wait for him. You waited and waited and waited. 

You messaged Peter multiple times asking where he was but got no reply. He was starting to piss you off. You bit your lip as you stood up and put a comforting hand on your daughters back. “Mer, I’m going to make a call.” She nodded, staying seated on the bleachers with her eyes focused on her sneakers. 

You walked into the hallway and pulled out your phone. You grinded your teeth together as you scrolled through your contacts with a little too much force until you hit Peter’s name. It rang and rang until it went to voicemail. “Peter, it’s YN. Where the fuck are you? It’s 8, and you’re still not at the dance. Is everything okay? Call me when you get this. Bye.”

You walked back into the gym but stopped short. Mer was wiping tears off her cheeks as she stared at the dance floor filled with her classmates having fun with their fathers. Did Peter even realize he was hurting her by not being here?

You sat down next to Mer and pulled her into a side hug. “Is he coming?” she sniffled, wiping away the fallen tears with her forearm. 

“I don’t know. He didn’t answer, but I left him a voicemail. This morning he was super excited to come. I’m sure whatever came up must have been urgent.”

“Oh...okay,” she shuddered as you watched the spark from earlier disappear from her eyes. She was hurting, and for the first time, you didn’t know what to do. 

Around eight-thirty, Mer continued to get antsy as she stared at the gym doors. You hoped Peter would show up, but you weren't waiting around any longer. All it was doing was making Mer feel worse. You reached over and hugged her close into your side. She leaned into you and put her head on your shoulder. “Did you want to go?”

“Yeah,” she mumbled, sounding defeated. “I knew he didn’t want to come.” She stood up in front of you, and you didn’t know what to say to make her feel better. Seeing her this upset was starting to make you more pissed off.  

“Hey--” you pulled her closer “--He wanted to be here. I don’t know what’s keeping him, but I know he didn’t want to miss this.” You wanted to make yourself believe Peter ran into some trouble like his car died on the drive here. You wanted to believe he didn’t intentionally break his promise with their little girl. 

“I don’t want to be here anymore. Can we just go home?” 

“Yes, let’s go!” You stood up as Mer grabbed your hand, and you squeezed hers as you both walked out the gym doors.

Quiet sniffles filled the back seat of your car on your drove back home. You hated seeing her like this, and it only made you more frustrated. Peter could hurt you, and you’d deal with it, but he couldn’t hurt your little girl. The worst part of all was that he promised Meredith, and he fucking broke it. Why did he agree if he wasn't going to show up? He better have a good fucking reason because if he doesn’t, you’re going to fucking kill him. 

You unlocked the front door as Mer ran up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door. You drop your purse and keys chasing up the stairs after her. You tried to turn the knob on the door, but it was locked. 

“Mer you know you’re not allowed to lock your door.” You tapped your hand on the door. “Please open up?”

She pulled open the door. “Sorry,” she grumbled, going back to her bed, lying face-first into her pillow. Her little body started shaking as she cried. You laid down next to her and rubbed soothing circles on her back.  

“Shhh, it's okay. Your dad is going to make it up to you. I can promise you that.”

“I don't care. I don't even want a dad anymore. He can leave, and it will be me and you again,” she cried, sniffling into her pillow. 

“Hey, you don't mean that,” you whispered.

“Yes, I do.”

About an hour later, she finally drifted off to sleep. You turned off her table lamp and closed her bedroom door. You walked back down the stairs, digging through your purse to find your phone. The screen lit up with three missed calls, one voicemail, and seven text messages from Peter. You rolled your eyes as you clicked to listen to the voicemail. 

“YN, I'm so sorry I…I fucked it up. Fuck! I’m on my way to the school now. I don't know if you're still there, but I’m sorry.” He hung up. 

You shake your head at your phone, deciding not to call him back. You thought he would be there tonight. You thought he would have been there for Mer. He promised her, pinky promised, but all he did was disappoint her and you. How could he stand up his little girl? How could he break her little heart like he broke yours all those years ago? You took a deep breath, realizing you were far too pissed off to try and sleep, so you settled on washing dishes. 

You put the last dish on the drying rack when you heard a knock at the door. You shake your head, knowing it could only be one person. You switched on the porch light and opened the door to find Peter. 

“You have got some fucking nerve showing up here, Quill. Three hours late, are you serious?” You shouted in a hushed tone, narrowing your eyebrows at him. You stepped outside and shut the front door, hoping to keep the talking outside and not wake up Meredith.

“Look, I'm sorry I got caught up in work and…”

“Work? Are you serious? You think I’m going to believe that shit.” You crossed your arms across your chest, eyeing over his disheveled appearance. You recognized that look anywhere. “You’re fucking kidding me, right?” He stared at you confused. “You skipped your daughters dance to get laid. Didn’t you?” His eyes shot down to the ground, staring at it as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. Before he could say anything, you continued. 

“You fucking promised her, Peter.” His eyes connected with yours and he nodded. “I know how to live with your broken promises, but she doesn’t,” you croaked, clearing your throat. He didn’t miss the small evidence of tears in your eyes before you blinked them away.  “Last night, our daughter stayed up past her bedtime so we could find the perfect dress. She was so excited when she found it and couldn’t wait to show you,” you sighed, shaking your head. “This was her first father-daughter dance, and the one person she wanted there didn’t even bother to show up. She wanted to spend time and make memories with you, but she can’t do that if you're not there.”

“I’m sor...” Peter starts to apologize, but you held your hand up to his face, stopping him.

“I’m not finished.” You took a deep breath to calm yourself. “Tonight, when you didn’t show up right away, she was fine with it, but by the time an hour rolled around, she didn’t want to be there anymore. I convinced her to stay a little longer because I hoped you would show up, but you never came, so we left. She tried to stay strong, but she cried, and I blame myself for relying on you.” You stared at Peter, watching his eyes turn a little wet with unshed tears. He cleared his throat, looking away from you. 

“Mer told me tonight, she wished it was just me and her again. I know she didn’t mean it, but I don’t blame her. You could have at least texted or called saying you had other things going on. Mer thinks you didn’t show up because you didn’t want to hang out with her at some stupid kids dance. It took a lot for her to ask you to go but for you not to show up is even worse.” He nodded, letting out a sniffle. “So next time, fucking call or text me. All Mer wants is for you to be there for her when you promise her. She wants to be able to rely on you when she needs her dad.”

“Shit. I’m the worst father alive,” he mumbled, using the sleeve of his jacket to wipe away a few fallen tears. “I’m sorry.” He stared at you with tearful eyes, and it told you exactly how he felt; he felt like he failed her.

“I appreciate the apology, but you shouldn't be apologizing to me. You need to apologize to our daughter.”

“You’re right. You’re right,” he agreed, nodding his head as you both fell silent. “Does she hate me?”

“Hate is a strong word for a little girl. She hates her vegetables, but I can guarantee you that she doesn’t hate you, but she is mad at you.”

“Any ideas on how I could make it up to her? I’m not good at this stuff,” he cleared his throat, running a hand through his hair.

“Are you serious? Don’t be so modest. You've taken me on the best dates and not dates in my life.” He breathed a small smirk. “You will come up with something great, and she’ll love it.”

“Do you think she’ll forgive me?”

“With time. Yes.” He eyed you over, knowing it had a double meaning. “Promise me something, Peter.” You grabbed his hand with yours.

“Anything,” he murmured, glancing down at your adjoined hands then back to your eyes.

“Don’t break her heart again.”

“I promise I will never make her feel this way again.” He squeezed your hand, making your heart flutter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Oh Peter....he definitely has some making up to do with Mer. Hmmm....wonder what he has planned and if she’ll forgive him? The reader may be catching some feelings for him again, but will she be able to forgive him for the past? Dang, I’m really dragging this out...haha! Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

The coffee maker came to life as it brewed into the pot below. It was early Saturday morning, and you knew it was going to be a long day with Mer. With the dance disaster that happened last night, you weren’t sure how you were going to get her mind off it. You poured yourself a cup when you heard a knock on the door and went to answer it. Your eyes widened in surprise seeing Peter in a familiar silver suit holding a single yellow gerbera daisy. “Well...well look at you, Quill. Don’t you look dapper,” you commented as your eyes traveled over his body. “Are you about to make things right with a certain little girl?”

“A man can try, can’t he. I mean, if that's alright with you.” 

“As hard and crazy as it may seem, it’s alright with me. Meredith comes first, and I know she wants you in her life, but right now, you might not be her favorite person. I know she will forgive you because she forgives those she cares about a little too easily if you ask me, but I’ve been there, too.” You gulped, glancing up and catching Peter’s eye. “You messed up, and she understands that, but don’t take her forgiveness for granted and don’t fuck it up again. Remember, you promised me.” 

“I remember…..can I get your option on something real fast.” You nodded. “Does this suit look stupid?” He motioned to his suit, smoothing it out. “Be honest.”

“She’s going to love it.” 

“What am I going to say to her?”

“Tell her how you feel like you let her down and how sorry you are. If you’re honest with her, she’ll be honest with you.” 

“How do you know this will work?” He questioned, running his hand down his face. 

“I’m her mother. Knock again and find out,” you winked, shutting the door on him.

A few moments later, Peter knocked on the door again, and you yelled for Meredith to get it. She charges down the stairs as you crept out of the living room to lean against the doorway. Meredith opened the door, and Peter smiled down at her on the other side.

“Excuse me miss, but I have a date with a lovely little lady today. I’m not sure if she’ll want to hang out with me after what happened, but I want her to know how sorry I am. I know I broke our promise, and I let her down, but I promise, I will never let it happen again. I’m sorry.” Peter’s eyes glanced at you, and you gave him a thumbs up. “What do you say Twig? Wanna hang out with your old man?” 

“Is mommy okay with this?” She murmured, forcing Peter to crack a smile.

“Who do you think I had to get permission from?” Peter whispered back, leaning down to give her the daisy.

“Okay, Daddy. I will go get ready,” she giggled, grabbing the flower from his hand. She wrapped her small arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug. Peter draped his arms around her and squeezed her close. You watched his expression change from worry to relief in a matter of seconds. Peter glanced your way with that boyish grin you loved, making you roll your eyes. 

“See not so hard,” you mouthed as Peter nodded in agreement. 

Peter and Mer broke apart. “How about you go get ready and pack an overnight bag. I’ll be here when you’re ready.” Mer squealed, taking off up the stairs. You didn’t miss the massive grin she had on her face, and you couldn’t help but feel excited for her. Peter stood up and made his way inside closing the door behind him. 

“You’re right it worked,” he said, putting his hands in his pants pockets. 

“You would've figured it out. It's basic communication.”

“Again, I’m sorry about yesterday.” You rolled your eyes, getting sick of him apologizing so much.  “I know my reason doesn’t matter because I still wasn’t there, but I wasn’t doing what you thought I was doing.”

“Oh, you mean you weren’t getting laid?” You narrowed your eyes at him, crossing your arms across your chest. 

“No. Um, it’s the complete opposite actually.”

“So you were master…”

“No, no no,” He interrupted, holding up his hands. “That was bad phrasing on my part.”

“Then what happened?” 

“I was helping Bucky look for his new puppy in the woods.”

“Excuse me?” You raised your eyebrows at him in question.

“Bucky and his wife got this new puppy from the shelter last weekend. She’s a black lab named Widow. She’s really cute, but loves to bite.” He shook his head, rubbing his wrist. “After they got home from work yesterday, they noticed her kennel had a hole in it, and she was missing. There are woods near there place, so after I got dressed for the dance, full tux in all, I figured I would help him look for an hour or two, thinking it shouldn’t take long.” You nodded as he continued. 

“We split up in the woods, and one thing led to another, my phone lost signal, I climbed a tree, tore my suit, fell out of said tree, and then lost my shoe. My phone ended up dying as it continued to search for a signal and--” He pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut “--by the time I found my way out it was too late. I called you right away once I got my phone hooked to the charger.”

“You fell out of a tree?” It would explain his disheveled appearance last night. His shirt was untucked and wrinkled. He wasn't even wearing his suit jacket, and his hair was all over the place. You couldn't remember if he was missing a shoe or not, but you were a little pissed off to take note of what was on his feet.

“Yeah, I was trying to find a signal to let you know I was going to be late. They do it all the times in the movies, so I thought it would work.”

“Guess not,” you breathed a soft chuckle, shaking your head. “And you got your suit fixed already?” You gestured your hand over his body.

“This...no no--” he pointed to his suit “--I had an all-black one on so I had to pull this one out of the back of my closet. It still works right? It’s kind of old.” 

“Yeah,” you nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me this last night?”

“You seemed upset with me, and I didn’t want to start an argument over this. It was late, and I knew you were already sick of my bullshit. I wanted to wait till you blew off some steam.”

“Well, at least now I can cross off ‘kill Peter’ off of my to-do list for today.” You shake your head, scratching the back of your neck. “If this co-parenting thing is gonna work between us we have to be honest with each other even on our worst day.”

“Starting today, I will.” He held out his hand. “I promise.” You reached out and shook it.

“Did they end up finding her?” You asked, still curious about what happened to the puppy.

“Oh, yeah,” he smirked, waving it off. “She went over to one of their neighbors a few blocks down and was playing with their dog."

“When did they find that out?”

“Probably while I was in the tree trying to find a signal,” he chuckled, forcing a small smile to your face.

“I’m sorry that I assumed the worst of things when you showed up here.”

“It’s okay. I get it. I mean, after we broke up--” your shoulders tensed up as your eyes dropped to the ground “--I sort of went back to my old ways, but I’ve grown out of it over the years...sort of.” You nodded, not knowing what to say. “Why...why haven’t we ever talked about what happened between us yet?”

“Well, it’s…..”

“MOMMY! I NEED YOUR HELP,” Mer yelled from upstairs, interrupting you.

“I’ll be right there,” you called upstairs, feeling a sense of relief flood over you. “This shouldn’t take long." 

“No rush. I’m hers all day,” Peter nodded as you went up the stairs.

 

Mer was ahead of you as she descended the stairs with her hand on the banister. Peter turned around, wearing a warm smile on his face.  It made your heart speed up, sending a tingling feeling to your stomach. “Wow! Mer you look like a badass princess.” You cleared your throat. “I mean an independent princess that doesn’t need a man to run a kingdom.”

“Thank you, Daddy,” she grinned. “I have something for you.” She pulled out a wristwatch from behind her back and handed it to him. “It’s so you won’t be late again.” 

“Wow, I just got burned by my daughter.” He let out a deep chuckled, taking the watch from him and putting it on his wrist. “Thank you, Twig.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Who are these characters from?” Peter asked, studying the watch on his wrist.

“Paw Patrol. It’s a limited edition.”

“I better take good care of it then. It may be a collector's item someday,” Peter smirked, making you shake your head. “I'll have her back tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds good! Make sure she brushes her teeth, and get her to bed at a decent time,” You advised, helping Mer into her jacket. “I love you, Mer. Don't be too hard on your dad he's still figuring out the ‘dad stuff.’”

“I won’t. Love you, Mommy.” She gave you a quick hug before walking out the door with Peter following behind her. He stopped short before closing the door.

“I owe you, YN. Thank you,” he paused, nodding at you before shutting the door.

You smiled, watching Peter and Mer walk hand in hand out to his Jeep. He reached through the open window and pulled out a small clear container containing the corsage he told you about. Mer was jumping up and down, clapping her hands as he opened the container and put it on her wrist. Your heart melted, seeing a contagious smile on her face as Peter help her into the backseat. It was easy to see that Peter adored her, and he treated her like you hoped he would. You couldn’t help, but wonder what if. What if you had the courage to tell him sooner? Would things have turned out different? What if you never left him after you found the truth?

Throughout the day, you kept busy cleaning the house and doing miscellaneous things to distract yourself. Peter sent you pictures and videos of all the adventures they went on. He first took her out to eat breakfast at this fancy restaurant that looked way better than what you ended up eating. Then, he took her to get her nails done. Meredith must’ve chosen Peter’s color because he was sporting coral polish. From the videos he sent, the staff even seemed to be enjoying themselves. You didn’t miss the comment Mer made to Peter about her feeling like a cool princess. 

You tried to concentrate on the book you were reading when your phone chimed with a new video. You opened the message and pressed play. Peter and Mer were wandering around an aquarium dressed in formal wear. Mer stood in front of a few fish tanks, mentioning how pretty all the fish looked. She saw a fish that looked like Dory, Nemo, and his dad, but she couldn’t remember his name. It was cute to see her flustered before she remembered it was Marlin. Then, he sent you a selfie of them standing in front of the tank together. A few minutes later, he sent another photo. Peter had Mer on his back, giving her a piggyback ride as they both smiled at the camera near a sign that said Jellyfish exhibit. A second later he sent a quick caption to this photo saying ‘Jellyman and Offspring.” You couldn’t contain the affectionate smile that graced your lips because it was too adorable.

After eating an early dinner, you laid down on the couch with a glass of wine and turned on the TV to try and find something to watch. You never knew how to spend your time when Mer wasn’t around, but you tried to keep yourself occupied. Your phone chimed, stopping it on a home improvement channel, glancing at your screen seeing yet another message from Peter. It was a picture of ingredients and a ton of sprinkles. Whatever they were going to make, it was going to end up in an absolute disaster. 

A half-hour later, you received a video message. 

> _“Tell your mom what we’re making, Twig,” Peter said, holding the camera at Mer’s face._
> 
> _“We are making rainbow cupcakes with three different colors. Pink, yellow, and red. They are going to turn out so pretty and yummy,” Mer smiled into the camera before it switched to Peter’s face._
> 
> _“Fingers crossed this works,” he said with a tight smile. “Wish us luck.”_

You smiled at your phone, sending them a quick text to wish them luck. You finished off your glass of wine and went back into the kitchen for more. As you pour yourself another glass, you realized something. Meredith needed her dad in her life, but what you didn’t expect is maybe Peter needed his daughter in his life, too. If by some chance, maybe there was room for you in his life, too. 

 

“Are you kidding, Nancy? Those cabinets with that countertop. You’re gonna regret that in a couple of years,” you shouted at the TV as you opened your second bottle of wine. Your phone chimed as the screen glowed.

“And action,” Peter commanded, removing his hand from the screen.

> _“Hi, we have finished the bake, and these cupcakes look yummy. Now it is time to frost and decorate. My favorite part,” she giggled. She started piping the frosting on the cupcake, but it came out too fast, and some of it ended up on the counter. She flushed, smiling at the camera. She opened one of the sprinkle containers and poured it on top of the frosting. “Sprinkles are the best part.”_
> 
> _Peter took a sharp breath in watching hundreds of sprinkles hit the floor. “So many sprinkles….” he gasped as Mer piped the frosting onto the next cupcake and this one turned out better. “That one looks great.”_
> 
> _“Thank you, but it needs the wow factor of the sprinkles,” she commented, pouring sprinkles all over the cupcake._

You heard more sprinkles hit the floor and couldn’t stop the loud laugh that escaped your throat. The camera flipped to Peters' face. 

> _“I am going to be finding rogue sprinkles for the next month,” he chuckled before it stopped recording._

As your episode ended, you put your wine bottles in the recycling and grabbed some snacks. You plugged your phone into the charger by the couch, and it chimed once again. This time it was a picture of all the colorful cupcakes with a shitton of sprinkles on top. You smirked at the screen, hoping Peter didn’t feed her too many of those cupcakes before bedtime. Your phone dinged again with a video attachment.

> _“Alright, Mer. Are you ready?” Peter asked, holding the camera at an angle so you could see both their faces. “On three...one...two...three.” Both Mer and Peter took a bit of their cupcake at the same time._
> 
> _“OMG, these are so good. I will bring a couple back for you, Mommy,” she grinned at the camera with frosting all over her face._

Mer seemed so happy with how they turned out, but when you saw Peter’s face, you couldn’t help but let out a loud belly laugh. His face was showing Mer how good they were, but his eyes were telling a different story.

> _“Yeah, so delicious, Twig,” Peter stated, chewing the cupcake slowly. “Not hurting my teeth at all!”_

About halfway through the next episode, your phone chimed with another video from Peter. 

> _“Daddy, what are you doing?” Mer asked, holding the camera up to Peter. He was digging through the medicine cabinet in the bathroom._
> 
> _“Got an upset stomach.”_
> 
> _“Oh no...are you going to be okay?”_
> 
> _“Yes. I’ll be fine. Can I see my phone quick? I see I got some messages.”_
> 
> _“Yup, here you go.” Mer handed it over with a smile, and you noticed another cupcake in her hand._

How many has she eaten so far?

> _“Thank you.” Peter turned on the front-facing camera. “Um...so those cupcakes are very sweet I got a major gut rot right now. I don't know how she was able to eat three without any problems. My stomach is like ‘why did you do this to me, Pete? We trusted you.’” He groaned, holding his stomach before turning off the camera._

“It’s called being a parent, Peter,” you chuckled to yourself. You always suffer the consequences when it comes to doing a project with your child thinking it will be fun, but then you realize it was a terrible messy awful idea. You switched to Netflix and picked a random movie to keep you entertained until your phone chimed. Expecting it to be another video, but it was a text message instead.  

**Peter: I am going to regret giving her sugar at 7 pm, right?**

**YN: She should crash from her sugar high once things settle down**

**YN: Might I suggest a dance party to get rid of the excess energy and a movie on the couch**

**Peter: Great idea**

A short while later, Peter sent you another video. Like, every video you received today, you press played excited to see what they were doing now. It started with Peter pressing record and adjusting his phone on a table. Mer must’ve picked the music because Baby Shark was blasting in the background. You cracked a smile seeing Peter’s exhausted expression when the song started playing. It looked like he let out a deep breath before he started dancing around with her. They were jumping around and shaking their hips to the beat. Song after song played, and they continued to dance and dance. You could tell Mer was getting exhausted when she started dancing in slow motion. 

Peter walked over to this stereo and switched to a song you haven’t heard in a while; You’re my Best Friend by Queen. Peter picked up his suit jacket and held it open for Mer to put on. She slid it on with ease, and it sat a few inches off the floor. She looked up at Peter with a huge smile, and he held out his hands. She stepped onto his feet, and he danced around with ease. It made your heart flutter with how much fun they were having together. 

When the video ended, you could tell Mer was ready for bed. She was rubbing her eyes and yawning. You glanced at the time on your phone and realized it was almost your bedtime, too. You turned off the tv and walked to your bedroom. Your phone dinged while brushing your teeth and you see a text message with a picture attached.

**Peter: Your idea worked ;)** *The picture attached was a selfie of Peter smiling, and Mer was sound asleep snuggled into his side wearing her unicorn pajamas. 

**Peter: Trial and error right**

**YN: You’ll be an excellent parent in no time**

**Peter: What would I do without you**

You shake your head at his response, feeling your face heat up. You walked over to your bed, crawled under the covers, and put your phone on the bedside table. Peter did exactly what he needed to do to make it up to Meredith. He might not have realized it yet, but he was already such a wonderful father to her. 

Peter dropped Meredith off mid-morning with her cupcakes, and she couldn't stop talking about the day with her dad, even going on to say it was better than the stupid dance at school. All you could do was smile at how Peter managed to pull off another incredible date. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Talk about some cute father/daughter moments, and we were so close to hearing about there break up! Ugh! Maybe the next part will finally answer some of your questions! Thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

**AN:**  Again,  _Podcast is in italics_ and _the_ _flashback is indented and in italics._ Hopefully, this works on all platforms. 

Peter got back home from dropping Mer off and knew he needed to clean up the kitchen. He was going to be finding rogue sprinkles for the foreseeable future, but he figured it could wait a few hours. He laid on his couch and turned on Netflix, but he couldn’t settle on what to watch. Instead, he switched off the TV and grabbed his headphones off the coffee table. As soon as he found episode #93, he pressed play.

_“Hey, my loves, this is your charismatic host, Wanda Maximoff. In today’s episode, we tackle breakups, divorce, and co-parenting. Our guest today is recent divorcee, Scott Lang. We’re going to be talking about these subjects among others as he shares his experience on co-parenting over his daughter Cassie.  Play that intro.”_

_“Hi Scott, Welcome to our little show,” Wanda stated with enthusiasm._

_“I am honored to be here.  This may surprise some people, but I do listen to this show from time to time. There is so much good advice and tips on here, and the banter between you and YN is hilarious.”_

_“We aim to please,” Wanda chuckled. “We know you’re divorced and from what I understand you and your ex-wife get along really well.”_

_“We do, yes, but it takes time to figure out the right schedule and who gets her on what holidays. It’s all about collaborating and working together. It’s not a competition, but what is best for your child. Sometimes it’s tough.”_

_“Life is. Let’s get into it shall we, so what happened with you and your ex-wife Maggie?”_

_“It all started…….._

_....and then we got a divorce. She ended up marrying this asshat cop. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a nice guy and all, but I often wonder where it all went wrong. I thought me and Maggie were going to be forever, but some people just don’t work together,” Scott stated._

_“How do you and your ex-wife do it?_

_“Well, we don't anymore,” Scott laughed. “Oh right, you meant co-parenting with Cassie, well, when it's my time with her she's all I focus on. I have to be there for her because before I know it, she will be all grown up. I'm an open book around her, and I try to be as honest as I can with her."_

_“Does she want you and her mom to get back together?”_

_“No, no, I don't think so. I’m happy for Maggie and Jim. What they have together, I hope I can find one day. I’m not mad at her because our marriage didn’t work. To tell you the truth, it was probably for the best. I wasn’t going to try and make it work because it would have done more harm than good. Sure, I miss seeing and hanging out with Cassie every day, but Maggie allows me to visit her whenever I can and I can’t thank her enough for that.”_

_“You sound like you have an understanding ex-wife.”_

_“I do! Some of us don't get so lucky. How about you YN?” Scott paused. “That’s right, get in here.”_

_You chuckled, “I'm amazed how Wanda keeps asking the guests to invite me in and talk. It’s like she thinks I won't say no to them.”_

_“Well, are you going to say no?” Scott asked._

_“How could I say no to you, Scott?”_

_“You’re too sweet, YN.”_

_“Ooo...you’re too kind Scott.”_

_“Oh my god, are you two done flirting? We do have a show to finish first,” Wanda joked._

_“Yeah we’re done,” you chuckled._

_“You can answer this or not, but what led to the events of Star-lord and your breakup?” Scott questioned._

_“I will answer this.” You cleared your throat. “It all started when he applied for this internship in Los Angeles on a whim and got it. If you all remember right, we were attending college in Missouri so it would have been a long trip to visit him. Anyways, I was proud of him, so I helped move him there. I got to meet his fellow intern and roommate, let’s call him…Buck, he was a good guy.”_

_“Would you say the distance is what drove you two apart?” Scott asked._

_“Part of it and our communication dwindled down.” You took a deep breath. “Once I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to tell him, but I didn’t know how to bring it up. When I called him, I focused on him and kept the attention off me. I didn’t want him to think something was wrong, so I stayed my happy self when we talked._

_At the time, I was still trying to find a solid job. It’s hard enough, job searching right out of college, let alone pregnant and job searching, because they always say you lack experience. I thought about moving to LA to find a job and be near Peter, but when I moved him out there I didn’t like it; the traffic, the noise, I couldn’t handle it._

_Anyways, it got to the point where we only talked a few nights a week and texts turned into short replies. Once I started to show, I knew I needed to tell him, so I went out there to surprise him, and we broke up. As for the reason why it will remain a mystery to our listeners.”_

_“Just when it was getting good, am I right? I respect your decision, but I can’t speak for the fans,” Wanda commented._

_“As much as I love hearing about Star-lord, I understand you're allowed to keep private things…well private,” Scott agreed. “Things like breakups are hard to talk about.”_

Peter remembered the day of the breakup all too vividly because he knew you were the one and he fucked it all up. 

> _Peter slept on his bed after a long night out partying. He stirred awake at the sound of someone knocking on his door. Each pound on the door only made his headache worse. As his door creaked open, he put his pillow over his head._
> 
> _“You had another admirer stop by,” Nat joked with her arms across her chest. Peter lifted the pillow off his head only enough to see her._
> 
> _“Oh, great,” he scoffed. “Who was it this time? Tina, Cara, Sarah, Nickel,” he yawned still half asleep._
> 
> _“She was a new one but she told me to tell you, 'Goodbye, Star-Lord.' I don’t know what kind of kinky stuff you're into, but I don’t want to know about it.”_
> 
> _He lifted his head out from under the pillow and narrowed his eyes, trying to think it over. “Goodbye, Starlord?” His eyes snapped open once he realized it was you and jumped out of bed. “Shit. No, no, no!” He ran to the window and saw you walking down the sidewalk rubbing your eyes. “Dammit.” He scrambled to throw on a shirt and shorts. Nat stared at him in confusion and amusement._
> 
> _“Who is she?” Nat asked with a smirk on her face._
> 
> _“I’ll explain when I get back. Can’t you wear more around the house,” he asked, rushing to his closet to slip on his shoes._
> 
> _“I have Bucky’s robe on.”_
> 
> _“No, it’s my robe, but I am pretty sure my girlfriend thought something different when she saw YOU wearing it,” he replied, rolling his eyes._
> 
> _“Shit,” Nat cursed as he went after you._
> 
> _He ran down the stairs two to three at a time. He jumped the last four steps and ran out the front entrance. He turned right, seeing the coat you were wearing from earlier and shouted your name. You stopped dead in your tracks._
> 
> _“Hey, I didn't--”_
> 
> _“Save it,” you shouted, turning around to face him. Tears were flowing from your eyes, and all he wanted to do was make you feel better. “Clearly, you have found time to preoccupy yourself with some blonde. I knew this long-distance thing was a bad idea.”_
> 
> _“Hold on,” he whispered, trying to reach out to you, but you stepped back. “Let me explain.”_
> 
> _“No, you don’t get to explain what you did, or better yet, what you have been doing.” You shake your head, wiping away the tears on your cheeks. “I should have known something like this was going to happen. I’m done, Peter. We’re over. I never want to see you again,” you sniffled, turning on your heels and walking away from him._
> 
> _Peter watched you walk away until he couldn’t see you anymore. You were gone. Gone from his life, and the future he wanted to share with you. He decided to head back to his apartment as tears started to creep into the corners of his eyes. He opened the door to find Nat and Bucky in the kitchen._
> 
> _“How'd it go? Nat asked, stacking pancakes on a plate._
> 
> _“It’s over.”_
> 
> _“Wait, what happened?” Bucky questioned, staring at him mid-bite._
> 
> _“YN thinks I have been cheating on her with Nat.”_
> 
> _“Fuck! I’m sorry, Pete. I can go talk to her.”_
> 
> _“NO! JUST......don't. You've already done enough harm today,” he huffed, slamming his bedroom door shut._

Why did he let you slip through his fingers? Why didn’t he chase after you? Why didn’t he make you listen to him? You walked away from him, and all he did was watch. He didn’t even try to fight for you or get you to listen to him. You disappeared from his life, and he didn’t do anything to stop you.

_“Did the breakup affect you?” Wanda questioned._

_“Yes,” you breathed. “When I found out what he was doing, I hated him for it. I was so frustrated with him because I thought I did something wrong in our relationship to provoke this,” you paused, remaining silence before you continued. “Breakups are hard. Some are easy to get over, some take time, but the real ones stick with you no matter how hard you try to forget them.”_

_“Where do you fall in those categories?”_

_“Are you trying to get me to confess to something, Mrs. Maximoff?”_

_“Counter question, do you still care about him?” Scott asked._

_“Yes, I don’t think I will ever stop caring about him. I will always have a soft spot for him. I mean, when someone makes that big of an impression on your life it’s hard to forget them and move on. I could, but I have a daughter with him, and I see him in her every day.”_

_“Hypothetically, if this Star-Lord character came back into the picture and wanted to be a part of his daughter’s life, how would you handle it?” Scott asked._

_“I would let him be a part of her life.”_

_“Wow, just like that?”_

_“Yes,” you replied. “When Star-lord was growing up, his dad was never in his life. He ran out on him and his mother when he was young, and he despised him for it. I remember Star-Lord telling me that if he ever had a child, he would want to be apart of their life. Given those circumstances, I would let him see her. She always wants me to tell stories about him, and I can tell she wants to meet him. And she will when the time is right.”_

_“Well said,” Scott said. “I like this podcast thing. It's so much fun.”_

_“It can be,” you chuckled._

_“Try doing it every week with an uncooperative co-host,” Wanda added._

_“Ooooh, YN, I bet you felt that sting,” Scott joked, making you laugh._

_“And with that listeners, this has been another info filled episode with Wanda Maximoff signing off until next time on Everyday's a Monday. Don’t forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to our podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. Have a good week, everybody! Be sure to check out our new Instagram account for new updates on the show and behind the scenes looks as we film our podcast.”_

How did he not see the signs? How did he not notice something was off about you when they talked? How were you going through all this, and he didn’t know a thing about it? Did that make him a bad boyfriend? A terrible friend? He needed to talk to you about this. It was the only way he was going to get answers.

 

It’s been about a month since you and Wanda went to New York, and Potts of Honey finally got all the right permits to begin construction. We would be hitting ground as early as next week, and you couldn’t be more excited for the company. Pepper was heading there later this week for a big press conference and a ribbon-cutting. It was all the fancy stuff you didn't care about. She wished you would go with her, but you had a podcast episode to figure out, and someone needed to stay back and be in charge while she was away. 

You enjoyed stepping in for Pepper when the need arised. It was fun to negotiate with people and figure out the next course of action. You never realized how much Pepper did until she took a two-week-long vacation. It was hectic the first couple days, but then you got used to it. It became pretty easy, and it turned out you really enjoyed it. Whenever Pepper went away, she could always count on you to take over for her. 

A routine set in with you and Peter. He would pick Mer up every day after school and one day each weekend Mer would stay with him. Mer loved the setup and this way she could have the best of both worlds. There were still some arguments you had with Peter about him buying her things you told her she couldn’t have. Or the time he gave her candy for breakfast. He was learning, but so were you at the beginning, too. 

You continued to change the subject when you knew he was going to bring up the breakup. He never point-blank mentioned it, but from the look in his eyes, it told you he wanted to talk about it. It was something you didn’t want to bring back to light. It was something you would rather forget. You didn’t want all those feelings from the past coming back and hurting you all over again. 

You finished the last thing on your to-do list before you left work for the day. You entered Walkman Records, greeting Mantis with a smile as you replied to a last minute email you forgot about. 

“Hey Mantis, any new messages for me?” You glanced up to see a familiar looking woman with red hair, but you couldn’t place where you’ve seen her before.

“No nothing, but it has been a very slow day.”

“Understandable,” She smirked at you. “Hi, you must be Meredith’s mother, YN. I’m Natasha but call me Nat.” She held out your hand and you took it. 

“That’s me.” You forced a smile, shaking her hand. She eyed you almost as if she knew something you didn’t.

“Hey, babe. Can you look over this bio for me?” Bucky asked, walking up beside her. He gave her the clipboard and flashed you a smile once he noticed you. “Hey, YN. How’s it going?”

“Good,” you said, clearing your throat. “Has Mer been behaving around here?

“Oh yes, she is like our little mascot, and the artists love her input even if it is crazy ridiculous,” Bucky replied, making you crack a smile. 

“Buck. Are we still considering this girl? She's still in high school, do you think she has what it takes?” Nat asked, flipping through the file. 

“Meredith likes her, and I don’t think this girl's boyfriend is gonna stop sending us demos until we tell them no to their faces. That is if we do decide to go that route. Besides, I'll do that thing you like tonight,” Bucky winked, speaking close to her ear. 

“Who said I liked that move in the first place,” Nat scoffed with a playful smile. 

“Oh, you didn’t need to tell me,” Bucky teased, winking at her before giving her a quick kiss and headed back to his office. 

You couldn’t help but smile at their playful exchange. The teasing and playful behavior in a relationship was always your favorite part. It kept things interesting and fun. What Bucky and Nat had was love, and it was going to last. It’s not like you stopped believing in love because you experience it every day. You loved your little girl unconditionally, but romantic love was always harder to grasp.

“Men. Am I right?”

“You don’t have to tell me. How do you think I ended up pregnant,” you breathed a soft chuckle. “How long have you been together?”

“I trapped his ass about 8 years ago, and I even tricked him into marrying me,” she smirked. “It was nice to meet you, YN, but duty calls.”

“Nice meeting you, too.” 

Peter and Mer came out of the hallway, passing Nat. You didn’t miss Peter narrowing his eyes at her as Nat shrugged in his direction. What was that about?

Mer ran to you and gave you a big hug. “How was spending time with your dad?”

“The best,” she grinned.

“Are you ready to go?”

“No, but if I have to,” she groaned. “I’m going to go say goodbye to Nat and Bucky.”

“Okay, but make it quick,” you said as she ran back down the hallway. “How was she?”

“She was great,” Peter smirked with a slight nod. He bit his bottom lip as his eyes met yours. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Are we ever going to talk about what happ…”

“Okay, I’m ready to go.” Meredith ran back into the room interrupting Peter.

“That was fast, Mer,” You paused, looking at Peter. “What was it you wanted to ask me?”

“Another time,” he waved it off like it wasn’t a big deal.

“Love you, daddy.” Mer pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tight.

“Love you, too. See you tomorrow, Twig!” He pulled away and ruffled her hair, smiling down at her. “Goodbye, YN.” 

“Bye, Peter."

 

It felt like dishes were a never ending job in your house, but it did give you some time to think. You were positive you’ve seen Natasha or Nat before, but you couldn’t remember. She looked so familiar, but maybe you met her once before or perhaps Peter mentioned her. Did Bucky introduce you to her when you helped them move in? They’ve been together for eight years so you could only assume you met her at their apartment. Either way, she seemed like the type of woman you could get along with. 

There was a solid knock on the door, making you flinch and slice your palm open with the knife you were washing. “Fuck,” you cursed. You grabbed a towel, putting pressure on it as you went to the door.

You peeked out the window, seeing Peter standing there. “Hey, come on in.” You opened the door and went back into the kitchen.

“You okay?”

“Yeah fine...cut my hand while washing dishes.” You pulled out a first aid kit from the cabinet struggling to open it.

“Here let me help.” He opened it and pulled out some antibiotics and a band-aid. “Let me see.” You hide it from him as he let out an annoyed scoff and rolled his eyes. He grabbed your hand, and you finally gave in. He removed the towel, noticing a small two-inch gash. He led you to the sink and held it under the faucet, cleaning it for you. You watch him take your hand and rub the ointment on it before placing the band-aid over it. “All set.”

“Thanks.”

“Don't mention it. I like taking care of you.”

You feel your face heat up as your eyes met his. “What brings you here?” You cleared your throat.

“I needed to come clean about a few things.”

“About what?”

“The day you came to LA to surprise me….” You nodded as your mind drifted to that dreadful day. 

> _You stood outside Peter’s apartment door in LA. You were nervous about how he was going to react. You were two in a half months pregnant, and your stomach was starting to show. This wasn’t the type of information to share over the phone. Would he leave you for this? You take a deep breath and knock on the door. You could feel your hands start to shake, and your palms begin to tingle. You tucked a few loose strands of hair behind your ear when the door opens. In front of you stood a blonde haired woman with red roots peeking through her scalp, and she was wearing Peter’s space robe that you got him for his birthday._
> 
> _“Um...hi,” you gulped, eyeing the robe she was wearing. “I don’t know if this…nevermind...Is Peter here?”_
> 
> _“Seriously,” she chuckled, shaking her head. “You know what, let me go wake his ass up. What’s your name?”_
> 
> _“Um,” you mumbled, trying to find your voice. You could feel the tears tickling behind your eyes. You wanted to cry, but not in front of this woman you didn't even know. “Will you tell him...tell him goodbye, Star-Lord for me. He’ll know who I am.”_
> 
> _“Okay, but are you sure you don’t want to talk to him? It’s no trouble for me to go get him.” She eyed you over as if she was judging you, especially for wearing a jacket in the middle of July._
> 
> _“Thanks, but--” you cleared your throat, fighting back tears "--it’s not necessary. Thank you for passing along the message.” She nodded as you walked away, feeling her eyes dig into your back. Once you were in the elevator, you let the tears fall._

“...truth is, I never cheated. Were their girls lining up to get with me, sure, but I never did anything with them. I already had everything I needed. I had you. The woman who answered the door that day was Natasha, my business partner and Bucky’s wife, she put on the wrong robe.” 

Your eyes widened as you realized that's how you recognized Natasha. Back then her hair was different, but she was the same person. “Excuse me?”

“I never cheated on you, YN.”

You stared at him with wide eyes, shaking your head. “Why did you fucking lie to me then? Why did you make me believe you cheated on me this whole fucking time?”

“I didn’t lie, you just assumed I did.”

“So what if I did. How would you react to seeing a woman in your boyfriend's robe? I was pissed and upset like I did something to provoke you to cheat. I thought I was the problem. I thought it was my fault. Oh my god, Peter!” You ran your hands down your face as Peter tried to say something, but you continued. “Why didn’t you try and make me listen to you? Fight for me or something? Why didn’t you chase after me and explain it? ”

“I thought--” he stammered “--I thought you came to LA to break up with me.” You stared at him in shock. 

“Break up with you! Are you fucking kidding me, Peter? I loved you. Why would your head even go there?”

“The distance between us wasn’t doing us any favors. We didn’t talk on the phone like we used to, barely texted, and any other source of contact stopped. I thought our relationship was dwindling down to nothing and thought you were mad at me for leaving you behind. I thought you were having doubts about our relationship, so I figured if you hated me, it would be easier for you to move on.”

“I was pregnant, Peter! I was trying to figure out how to tell you, but I didn’t want to break up with you.” 

“I realize that now,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?” you shouted a little louder than you planned. 

“Why didn’t you tell me we had a daughter together?” 

“I wanted to, I tried, but then you got the internship. You were finally accomplishing what you set out to do, and you were living your childhood dreams. I didn't want to be the one to ruin it for you, Peter. You loved it; I could hear it in your voice every time we talked. I watched how hard you worked to get there, and I didn't want you resenting me and Mer for taking that opportunity away from you."

“I never would’ve resented you or Mer.”

“You say that now,” you exasperated, running your bandaged hand through your hair. “But you don’t know what would’ve happened back then.” 

“Yes, I do. It’s me. I’m the same person, only better looking and far more mature. Sort of.” You shake your head, rolling your eyes. “You’re right. Maybe, I don’t know what I would’ve done, but I know I wouldn’t have left you behind,” he acknowledged, furrowing his eyebrows together. “The truth is I regret everything I didn’t do that day. I didn’t stop you. I didn’t fight for you. I didn’t even try.” He shrugged, biting his bottom lip. “I acted like a fucking child,” he cursed with a deep breath. “I watched you walk away knowing I lost the best thing I ever had. The only thing I ever needed. You. It was always you,” he swallowed as your eyes widened. “If I could give up everything to go back in time and be with you? I would do it in a heartbeat.”

Without even thinking, you grabbed his face and kissed him. You pulled back once you realized what you did. “Shit! That was…” 

He interrupted as his lips collided with yours. You wrapped your arms around his neck, and he grabbed your thighs, lifting you up onto the counter. You pushed his jacket off, letting it hit the floor without breaking contact with his lips. He grabbed your shirt, pulling it over your head, and in a split second, your lips were back together. It felt like you were two eager teenagers trying to get to home base. 

He lifted you off the counter and carried you down the hall. For once, you were glad your bedroom was on the first floor. Breaking contact with your lips, you mumbled what door was your bedroom as he stumbled on a rug almost dropping you. You both laughed as Peter caught himself. He finally reached your door, pushing it open and kicking it softly shut behind him. He laid you down near the end of the bed, kissing you as you melted into the mattress. Your hands skimmed the hem of his shirt, and you slowly started pulling it over his head.

He started placing soft kisses down your neck to your collarbone, sending goosebumps to the surface of your skin. His lips left your skin as his face hovered over yours almost like he didn’t know what to do next. You felt his breath on your lips, making your insides twist with anticipation. You reached up to cup his cheek as he leaned into your touch, closing his eyes. Your hand moved to his chest over his heart, and his eyes fluttered open, gazing down at you. He licked his lips, drawing your eyes to them before drifting back to his lust filled eyes. 

His eyes etched with worry as he watched you. He was waiting; waiting to see what you were going to do next; waiting to see how you were going to react; waiting for your next move. Your breath quickened, feeling his rapid heartbeat underneath your hand. You couldn't help, but feel how this could be the start of something great; a new beginning; a second chance. Without a second thought, you leaned up brushing your lips against his.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Well, that escalated quickly! But damn, emotions, am I right?! Did some of your questions finally get answered? I hope so, but maybe there are still a few left unanswered. Where do you think their relationship will go after this? Will they finally become a happy family, or is there one thing that still stands in the way. Guess you’ll have to wait and find out! And I hope you all enjoyed Scott's cameo on the podcast! Right away, I knew he would be on an episode because who doesn't love Cassie! Thanks for reading.


	15. Chapter 15

You felt someone press their lips to your forehead, but you kept your eyes closed to savor the moment. Did he still love you like you did him? You heard footsteps walk across your bedroom, and the door slowly creaked open. It felt like forever before you finally heard the door click shut. You leaned up, holding the sheet to your chest, unable to keep the smile off your face. It was nothing new to see Peter slip out early because he always did when you were dating in college. This meant he had to work early, or he went to get coffee and doughnuts. Either way, you weren't surprised. You yawned, rubbing your eyes as you peeked at the clock. You had a half hour before your alarm went off and there was no way you were going to fall back asleep.  **  
**

You crashed your head back down onto your pillows, shaking your head and grinning up at the ceiling. Peter's confession left you speechless, and after everything, he still felt something for you as you did for him. What was going to happen now?

After dropping off Meredith at school, you headed to the coffee shop near Potts of Honey. You only did this on certain days, but it felt like you and Wanda deserved a little treat. Or it could've been that you needed a little extra caffeine after your extracurricular activities last night. Walking into your building, you smiled at Drax, the head of security, and handed him a caramel frappuccino with extra whip. You never figured him for an extra whip kind of guy, but you never could read his strange demeanor. 

You stopped by Wanda’s office to drop off her coffee before the morning meeting, leaving a sticky note saying, _Free coffee ;)_. Wanda would know who it was from so you didn’t bother signing it. 

During the morning meeting, you continued to come up with ideas left and right. There were many items discussed, including the upcoming plans for the NY facility, new toy ideas, and popular topics to talk about on the podcast. The smirk on Pepper's face and the devilish smile appearing on Wanda’s face right next to you didn’t go unnoticed. 

“To conclude this meeting, I want to share that a few individuals may be getting promoted in the coming weeks.” She stared right at you. “Some of you may also be eligible to work in the NY facility if you so desire because I understand many of you have families here. Those without any ties may have a tough choice ahead of them. Thank you all for coming this morning. I know it was long and boring, but I loved everyone’s enthusiasm.” 

“She means you cheery,” Wanda whispered, looking at you behind her. You scoffed, rolling your eyes at her.

On the way back to your office, you and Wanda realized you both had a ton of research to do before the podcast tomorrow. Typing away on your computer, you made a few notes about baby wipes and peeked over at Wanda to find her watching you. “What?”

“You had sex, didn’t you?”

“WHAT! No, I didn’t!” You replied, narrowing your eyes at her.

“Who was it with? Cause the amount of ideas you supplied at this morning's meeting doesn’t happen unless you got a little bow chicka wow wow,” She winked, continuing to press you. 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, then the hickey below your ear is telling me a different story.” You reached up below your ear, then quickly dug out a small mirror from your desk to find a hickey. Thank god you wore your hair down today. “You see YN, I have this 6th sense, where I can detect when people have had sex,” she admitted, forcing you to roll your eyes and shake your head. “It’s true, why do you think Pepper has been in such a good mood lately? Sex. Then there is Ron from the maintenance department, who always wears a red shirt after he had sex. Or Drax our security guard downstairs well that one doesn’t count since he always tells me when he has sex. He thinks it’s a beautiful thing.”

“OH MY GOD, STOP! I don’t need to hear about other people’s sex lives.”

“Suit yourself. Who was it with?”

“You don’t know him.”

“So, you did have sex.” You gave her a straight face nod. “It was Peter, wasn’t it?”

“What! Why would you think that?”

“You have a history, and you're not the type of girl to have a one night stand with a guy you don’t know.”

You scoffed. “It doesn’t matter. I'm not going to let it happen again.”

“Hmmk, I’ll try and believe that. So you kissed him first?”

“WHAT? How could you know that? Can you read minds or something?”

“You will never know,” she joked, adding a wink. “Was it good?”

“Fine, I’ll tell you, but then we have to get to work.” She shut her laptop and leaned in closer to you so she wouldn’t miss anything. “He showed up at my door.”

“And he was wearing a trench coat, and you jump him right there.”

“No, oh my god, no.” You shook your head, narrowing your eyes at her. “Why would you...nevermind. I don't want to know what you and Vis do on the weekends.”

“Fair enough,” she smirked.

You told her what happened, starting with his confession which ended up with you two getting busy between the sheets. She smiled and seemed generally happy for you. Wanda wanted you to start dating him again, but you still weren't sure if you were ready. Having shared feelings for one another was one thing, but being the first to act on them was always the hardest part. 

You never understood how Wanda could figure out such personal things, but you still adored her for it. After lunch, everything flew by, and before you realized it, you were leaving work early for the first time in weeks. It only happened a few times out of the year, but when it did, you took full advantage of it. You glanced at your phone in the elevator seeing a text from the man you couldn’t stop thinking about.

**Peter: Hey ;)**

**Peter: Finished up at the studio early. We are at my apartment.**

**YN: On my way. Done early, too. See you soon :)**

He didn’t reply back, but you assumed he was playing with Mer or helping her with her homework. That little girl could keep anyone busy.

Parking your car in the parking ramp, you walked into Peter’s apartment building saying a quick hello to Stan, the doorman. You still couldn’t get over how fancy this place was. It had all the amenities of a hotel, but it was in your own home. There was a pool, a gym with personal trainers, and a spa, complete with a massage therapist and a manicurist. Peter even had his own washer-dryer unit in his apartment. When you have all these things, you know you’re doing something right. You got into the elevator and clicked on the floor to his apartment. As it rose higher and higher, your stomach fluttered with nerves making your fingers tingle.

You stepped out of the elevator and made your way to his apartment door. Your heart was beating faster, and your palms started to feel damp. Why were you so nervous? You’ve slept with him tons of times. Heck, you even had a child with him. You let out a deep breath before knocking on the door. The door opened, and the smile that appeared on your face so easy this morning quickly disappeared in an instance.

“Hi, you must be YN. I’m Bereet, Peter’s girlfriend,” she waved with an intoxicating smile.

Your nerves and excitement were gone replaced with a sharp pain to your chest. This time you couldn’t leave a message and run away. This time your daughter was in there. This was like deja vu, but this time you were the other woman.

“Why don’t you come on in.” 

He has a girlfriend. Peter, who you slept with last night, has a girlfriend. You could feel the blood drain from your face as you stepped into his apartment. His confession. Your confession. Your bed. Last night should've never happened. You ran your hand through your hair, staring hard at the floor. If you knew he was in a relationship, you never would have gone that far. An unpleasant feeling of guilt sat in the pit of your stomach weighing you down. 

“They should be out at any second,” she grinned, closing the door behind you. 

“How long have you and Peter been together?” You questioned, deciding to make small talk. Maybe, they haven’t been dating long and aren’t in the serious stages yet. But if they are serious, why didn't Peter ever mention it or at least ask if it was okay to introduce her to Mer?

“About four months now. Wow! I can’t believe it has already been that long,” she chuckled, shaking her head. 

Shit. You forced a tight-lipped smiled and heard Mer’s giggles getting closer. Peter came flying into the room with Mer on his back, giving her a piggyback ride. He stopped dead in his tracks looking between you and Bereet. “Hey, YN. You’re here early.” You nodded at him realizing he must’ve never got your text. You weren’t sure if you were grateful for it or upset by it. 

“Mommy,” Meredith smiled, sliding down Peter’s back and sprinting over to you. 

“Did you have fun?” Your fake smile from earlier spread into a real one. 

“Yes! And dad helped me with homework.”

“How do you think he did?”

“I’ll find out tomorrow,” she said, making you and Peter chuckle. 

“Are you ready to go then?” 

“Yes, let me grab my stuff first.” You watched her take off down the hall as your eyes drifted back over to Peter. He was staring at you as if he was trying to read your mind. His eyes were filled with worry making a crease form between his brows. 

“She is so cute, Peter,” Bereet commented, sliding up next to him. “I can see so much of you in her. It’s crazy.” She rested her head on his shoulder, intertwining her hand with his. You gulped, looking away wishing Meredith would speed it up. You didn't want to be here anymore. All you wanted to do was leave.

“Mer has more of her mother in her than me,” Peter stated with a slight smirk in your direction. You gave him a half-shrug, eyeing the hallway Mer disappeared down.

“Okay, I am ready to go.” She walked back into the room, slipping her backpack onto her little shoulders. “Dad I left my book about the galaxy so if you wanted to look at you can. There are a ton of cool facts in it.”

“Thanks, Twig.” Peter nodded, pulling out of Bereets grasp. “I’ll walk you two out.”

In the elevator ride down, you avoided any eye contact with Peter. You weren’t sure what you were feeling right now, but it was somewhere between frustrated, heartbroken, and pissed off. Mer and Peter made lite conversation about school and cracked a few jokes. You smiled down at Mer a few times giving Peter the side-eye. You wanted to tell him off right there, but you didn’t want the little ears to hear it. How could he do this to you? You knew the truth behind the past mistake, but why did you feel like nothing got resolved?

Mer held onto Peter's hand as they walked to your parked car. Peter grabbed her backpack and helped her into her car seat. “Take care of your mom for me, Twig.”

“I will, Daddy.” She pulled him in and kissed him on the cheek.  

“See you tomorrow,” he smirked, kissing her forehead. He closed the door and waved goodbye to her through the window. He came around the back to the open trunk, setting Mer's backpack inside before turning to you. “YN, I’m...” 

“I don’t want to hear another apology out of your mouth,” you interrupted, putting your hand up to stop him. Your emotions were all over the place, and it was hard to pinpoint exactly what you were feeling.  You had the urge to slap him, but you also wanted to cry over a tub of ice cream.  He nodded, pressing his lips into a firm line. “Why didn’t you tell me you were seeing someone?"

"I...."

"You know what--" you cut him off, pinching the bridge of your nose "--last night was just a heat of the moment thing, and it shouldn't have happened. It shouldn't have gone that far." 

“It wasn’t a heat of the moment thing for either of us, and you know it,” Peter confessed, trying to step towards you, but you backed out of his reach. 

“It doesn’t matter.” You shake your head, biting your lip. “Bereet told me you've been together for four months, Peter. That’s a big deal, and you introducing Mer to her must mean you really care about Bereet.” Your voice cracked, making you pause before continuing. “I mean, you could have talked to me before you introduced Mer to Bereet, but I guess we never had that conversation about introducing significant others to her.”

“Wait, you think...” Peter started as his face scrunched up, but you interrupted him. 

“The few guys I dated after you. I didn’t even introduce Mer to them. They knew I had a daughter, but I wanted to make sure it could turn into something before she got attached to them.” You gulped, noticing Peter’s jaw clench. “Look, Bereet adores you, and I can tell she is important to you, too. I don’t want to be ‘the other woman’ that ruined your relationship and your chance at happiness.” You slammed the trunk lid down, staring into the rear window to see Mer listening to her iPod. “Even if it’s not with me,” you whispered to yourself.

“You haven’t ruined anything.”

“You’re right because nothing happened between us,” You croaked, turning around to face him.

“For once in your life will you stop talking and listen to me,” Peter shouted louder than he intended, making your eyes widen. He glanced in the rear window but looked relieved once he noticed Mer was on her iPod. 

“No. I’m done listening,” you sighed, shaking your head. “Today, I woke up feeling happier than I have been in a long time, and you were the reason for it. I have always had a soft spot for you, Peter, and no matter how much time has passed between us, it will always be there.” Peter stepped closer to you as his eyes filled with concern, but you took a step back. You didn't want to be the other women. You didn’t want to end a relationship because of a stupid mistake. You would be the bigger person and walk away from him like you did before. It would hurt, but it always does. 

“Why do you think I was so open to having you involved in Mer’s life? It wasn’t just because you’re her dad. And fuck, just like I imagined, you're a great father to her--" You bit your lip, feeling the corner of your eyes well up with tears. You looked away from him, feeling a tear slide down your cheek. "--But you can be a real a-hole of a person sometimes," you sniffled, wiping away the stray tear with your forearm. “I thought about asking you if you wanted to give this another go between us, but then um--” you shake your head, clearing your throat “--I need to get Mer home. I’ll see you around, Quill.” You took a step away from him and turned your back on him without giving him a second look and got into your car. 

He watched your rear lights disappear around the corner of the parking structure and shook his head. It was like deja vu; reliving his worst memory all over again. “FUCK,” he screamed, kicking a nonexistent pebble on the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohh and just when I got your hopes up in the last part...I'm the worst. Some of you probably hate me right now, but that's okay...we'll get past this! Were any of you surprised to see Bereet at his apartment? I thought it would be one hell of a shocking moment in the story! And what about the reader and her emotions...kind of all over the place, but she was able to tell Peter how she really felt about him. Deep breaths though...it will get better...maybe! As always, thanks for reading!


	16. Chapter 16

You and Wanda were figuring out last minute details for the podcast you were going to be recording this week. Everyone thought it was a great idea to have Pepper on the show talking about the new Potts of Honey facility under construction, upcoming product launches, and how she wants to bring new opportunities to local communities on the east coast. 

“Is everything okay?” Wanda asked, looking up from her computer.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?” You snarled back.

“You have been acting weird since the day after you told me you got laid last week.”

“Got my period.”

“Well at least we know he didn’t get you pregnant again,” she chuckled, forcing you to roll your eyes.

Your office remained silent for a few minutes before you felt confident enough to speak up. “Peter has a girlfriend, and I didn’t know about her until after we slept together.”

“It must not be that serious if...”

“They’ve been together for four months.”

“Shit! Why...why would he go that far then?” You shrugged. “How did you find out?”

“She was at his apartment, acting all lovey-dovey on him when I went to pick Mer up.”

Wanda looked at you like she was about to say something when Pepper stepped into your office. “Hey, girls. Wanda would you mind if I speak with YN alone for a moment.”

“Of course, I need to refresh my tea anyways.” Wanda shot you a caring smile before stepping out.

“How are you doing? You seem a little off since the day of your big ideas.”

“Oh my god, not you too,” you groaned, dragging your hands down your face.

“I don’t understand.”

“Yes, I got laid last week by my baby daddy. Yup, you heard that right Peter slash Star-lord is back in my life.” Pepper’s eyes widen. “I know you said you’re behind on my podcasts because you have been busy which I totally get, but yup he’s back, and I slept with him. And the worst part of all he has a girlfriend so it’s like deja vu but this time I am the other woman. Why do I keep doing this to myself?” You confessed as fast as you could get the words out. 

“I had no idea. I'm such a terrible friend. I didn’t even notice what you were going through." Pepper came closer to you and put a comforting hand on your shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” you sighed. “You have more important things to worry about. What did you want to talk about?”

“Well…it’s a job offer. Tony and I have been talking, and we agreed you're the best choice. You have been with us since the beginning, and you have helped grow what this company has become. It’s a big promotion, and it’s yours if you want it. I'm still trying to figure things out, but whichever facility I decide to run I want you to run the other."

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I trust you, and I know you will do great, especially with all my last minute vacations. You can handle it. It will come with a bigger office, more responsibilities, and more money. It will have the same feel with family coming first. You’ll have the same hours, but with more wow factor.” She waved her hands in front of her.  “I also would love you to keep doing the podcast. Everyone loves you and Wanda, and I don't want to change that.”

“This is a lot to take in,” you breathed, putting your hand on your chest. 

“I know. That's why I am giving you till the end of the week to decide,” Pepper grinned at you.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Say yes because you’re my only choice, but it’s your decision. I will leave you to think about it, and I'm looking forward to doing the podcast in a couple of days.”

“Me too." 

 

“And with one last signature, you have yourself a record deal. Congratulations, Michelle!” Nat confirmed, clapping her hands together.

“Awesome,” Michelle said, nodding her head. "Thanks."

“She's so excited and grateful for this opportunity, Natasha," Michelle’s mother smiled. "She might not show it since she likes to keep her emotions in check."

“I’m like that, too,” Nat smirked. “How about we go to my office, and we'll set up your first session. Peter and Bucky will find some songs that might interest you, or if you have some of your own, we would love to hear them. We are here for you with whatever direction you want to go. Then we can figure out if there is another name you want to go by or if you want to go by Michelle. It’s up to you.”

“I was thinking MJ.”

“Like Michael Jordan?”

“No, like Michelle Jones.”

“Thata girl, I can work with that,” Nat nodded, shooting her a side smirk. 

“Good,” Michelle said, following Nat out of the recording studio. 

“She is sooo awesome,” Meredith gawked, watching her walk down the hall with Nat.

“You think so, Twig? I think she could have a little bit more personality,” Peter stated with a half shrug.

“She will be great, daddy.”

“We're trusting your judgment on this Mer,” Bucky added, crossing his arms across his chest.

“You should because I'm smarter than you.”

“Why’s that?” Bucky scoffed playfully, arching his brow at her.

“I saw you run into the door the other day,” she fired back, forcing Bucky to smirk at her quick comeback. “It was a pull door, not a push door; the sticker was right there telling you what yo do.”  He opened his mouth to say something, but Peter interrupted him. 

“Hey, Twig. Why don’t you go get ready to leave. Your mom will be here any minute.”

“Okay,” she said, rushing out of the studio to Peters office. 

Peter stood in the lobby waiting for Mer when he sees you pull up outside. You stayed in your car watching the front door like you have done so many times this past week. Ever since you met Bereet, you've been avoiding him and refusing to come into the studio. Mer told him it was because you said this way was faster and easier. All he could do was agree with your decision, but deep down, he missed talking to you every day.  

He watched Mer stroll into the lobby holding onto her backpack straps talking with Michelle. For the first time, he could've sworn he seen Michelle smiling, but Mer could always make anyone smile.  

“Bye, MJ. Hopefully, I will see you next week.”

“See you later, Mer,” Michelle waved, walking out of the studio with her mom. 

“Are you two best friends now?” Peter inquired with a hint of amusement in his voice.

“I hope so. She is so cool.”

“I see your mom is waiting outside, Twig. How about you give your dear old dad a hug, and I’ll see you after school tomorrow.” He squeezed her tight into a hug, and she turned her head, kissing him on the cheek. 

“Bye, daddy,” she waved, leaving the studio.

“What did you do to YN now?” Nat asked, making Peter roll his eyes and go to his office mumbling.

Peter sat at his desk looking thru this phone at the Everyday’s a Monday Instagram page. It was full of giveaways, behind the scene looks, and the ever-present whiteboard Wanda always mentions. Your face and Wanda’s was all over it. He couldn’t help but think how he fucked everything up again. He was being a coward. He always let you have the last word, and he never fought for you. Why? What was he holding out for; something better to come along. You were the best thing to ever happen to him, but he was too afraid to tell you he still loved you. He set his phone down and put his elbows on his desk, covering his face with his hands. 

“Bereet incoming,” Nat shouted, walking past his office. He shook his head, running his hands through his hair. 

“Hey, baby.” Bereet walked in, closing the door behind her. “I saw Meredith leaving once I pulled up, so you know what that means,” she squealed, sashaying over to his desk. “With the baby mouse away. It’s time for the adult mice to play.” She leaned back on his desk in front of him, but Peter’s eyes remained focused on the door. “Come on, babe. Let’s get out of here and do something fun?” She ran her hand up and down his arm. 

“Bereet, stop,” Peter murmured still not looking at her. 

“Stop what,” she smirked, lifting his arm to straddle his lap.

“I’m not doing this right now.” He pushed his chair back to stand and started walking to the door.

“Boooo, you’re no fun. What’s been going on with you lately? What did she threaten to take away your rights or something?” He stopped short once those words left her mouth. “Because wouldn't it be great if it was just you and me again."

“Excuse me?” He turned on his heels towards her.

“YN barged back into your life saying she has a kid with you, but you never asked for a paternity test? For all you know she tricked you because she wants to be in your life again, or she's after your money.”

“Why would you say that? What would make you think she's the kind of person who would do such a thing?”

“I mean, weren’t you the one who cheated on her because she was distancing herself. You have needs, and she wasn’t giving you what you needed. I give you what you need, and I make you happy. We belong together.” She stepped over to him, taking his hand in hers. 

“See that is--” he shook his head, stepping away from her  “--that is where you're wrong. I thought...I thought you made me happy, but you don’t. You never have.”

“How could you say that? WE are happy together. You even bought me a ring.”

“WE are not in a relationship, Bereet. WE never were. I don’t know where you came up with the idea to think we were, but we’re not. Whatever this--” he pointed between him and her “--was or has been it's over. Oh yeah, the ring you found was for YN, not you.”

“AHHH,” she screeched, pointing a finger at his chest. “I bet, once you found out you shared a child with her it was a dream come true. You finally get another chance with the wonderful, YN,” she shouted with sarcasm lacing her words. “You’re obviously still in love with her, and I bet you were sleeping with her behind my back. Once a cheater, always a cheater. Have a good life Peter, or a worse one because if YN dumped you once before she'll do it again. And when she does don’t come running back to me. Good-bye Peter. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Bereet pushed past him, marching to the door.

“Wait--” Bereet stopped and turned around to face him “I’m gonna need my key back.” Peter held out his hand.

“Why? Are you gonna give it to YN?”

“Why would I tell you? Besides, I would be doing my apartment a service by not letting you use the amenities they provide anymore. I will say I have gotten a few complaints about you." 

“Fine whatever I don’t care,” she grumbled as she took the key off her car keys and threw it at Peter, hitting him in the chest and landing right in his hand. She barged out of the room, cursing all the way out until he heard the front door slam shut.

Peter groaned, running his hands down his face. “FINALLY! If I knew she was that much of a clinger this would’ve been over a long ass time ago. Damn, I hate it when Nat's right.” 

“Usually am,” Nat commented, leaning against the doorway. “Also, if memory serves me right, I told you giving her a key was also a bad idea.”

“Yeah, but on the plus side, she did always clean my apartment when she came over. So, who is the real winner here?” Peter shrugged with a slight smirk, earning an eye roll from Nat as she went back to her office. He still didn’t understand why she got her own office while he and Bucky had to share. 

 

It had been such a long day, and tomorrow was going to feel even longer with recording this week's episode. You loved your job, but some days you just wanted to curl up on the couch and watch trash television. It was a relief when Gamora decided to stop by for dinner, and surprise Mer with a confetti cupcake from her favorite bakery. Mer ended up having it before dinner because she didn’t want to be too full and not be able to eat it after.  As soon as Mer excused herself from dinner, Gamora went over to the paper bag and pulled out two bottles of wine. 

“It’s time for some adult juice,” Gamora smiled, grabbing two glasses out of the cabinet and filling them up halfway. “What’s going on sis?”

“Where do I begin?” you sighed, taking the wine glass Gamora handed you. 

“What’s going on with Peter?”

“How did you know…”

“Sister intuition,” She replied, tapping her fingers on the side of her head. 

“Peter and I may have--” you take a long sip of wine “--we slept together.”

“You naughty girl.” She nudged you in the side, sending a quick fake HAHA out of you. “What brought this on?” 

“He told me the truth about how he never cheated on me, and then I don’t know what came over me, but I grabbed him and kissed him. Then, bang.” You clapped your hands together. 

“Then, why are you so upset?”

“He has a girlfriend I didn’t know about.”

“Oh! That complicates things,” she nodded, biting her lip. She reached over and grabbed the wine bottle refilling your glass. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did you talk to him?”

“Not yet,” you gulped. “I need to, but he frustrates me sometimes.” You clenched your jaw, holding your head in your hand.

“Cause you’re still in love with him.”

“Yeah I am, and I’m pretty sure he knows it, too, but it doesn’t matter anymore,” Your voice cracked, downing the rest of your wine. “I do need to tell him about the promotion Pepper offered to me, too. He deserves to know it might impact his time with Mer, which I hate to do to him. He loves that little girl, Gam, and I don’t want to take her away from him.”

“Hey--” she placed her hand on your knee “--does Peter deserve to know yes, but don’t worry about him and how things might change. Focus on what you feel will be best for you and Mer.  It’s a big opportunity, and it’s something you need to take the time and think about it,” Gamora added, flashing you a warm smile.  

 

“Hey Peter,” Mantis greeted from behind her desk with a warm smile. He nodded her way, stumbling to his office. He was still wearing his sunglasses which were doing nothing to ease his throbbing headache. Peter threw himself into his chair behind his desk and leaned back, closing his eyes. 

“Where the fuck have you been, Peter?” Nat shouted, barging into his office. “We had a big meeting with the Howling Commandos this morning. Where were you?” 

“I was busy,” he mumbled, letting out a long yawn.

“Busy? Are you kidding me?” He shrugged. “Did you go out last night and get drunk?” Nat barked at him, pacing back and forth. “Why would you do that? You knew how important this meeting was.”

“Can you not today, Nat? I have a lot on my mind right now,” Peter replied, making Nat scoff.

“Peter, there you are.” Bucky marched into their shared office and up to Peter's desk.  “Where the hell have you been?” Bucky inquired, pulling off Peter’s sunglasses.  

“Dude!” Peter squinted at the light as he sat up, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to clear his cloudy thoughts.

“What’s going on, Peter? What happened between you and YN?” Nat asked, crossing her arms across her chest. 

“Nothing, I’m fine, she’s fine, everyone is fine. I'm here at work, ready to listen to some crappy demos, find some shitty songs that will make number one on the charts, and oh, by the way, did I tell you YN and I slept together. But some of those demos turn out to be good, and the artist turns out to be really good. But then she saw Bereet at my apartment, and it was like deja vu 7 years ago, but this time she felt like the other woman because Bereet told her we were in a relationship. But sometimes the artist is terrible and no matter how many times we tell them NO they keep sending them and sending them and sending them,” Peter said, lowering his head to rest on his arms and hide his face on his desk. The room fell silent for a few short seconds.

“You slept with YN!”

“Boom, there it is,” Peter lifted his head, banging his hand on the desk. “Are you going to tell me it was a mistake, too? And how it was a heat of the moment kind of hook up? Because let me tell you something, it’s complete bullshit.” Peter pointed at Nat and then at Bucky, who stood in front of his desk. 

“You told her the truth about what happened.”

“Yes, and you see where that got me,” he motioned around the room. “No fucking where.” He pushed against his desk, causing his chair to collided with the wall behind him as he walked over to the small bar in the corner. He pulled off the cork and poured himself a drink. “It didn’t do any good.”

Bucky reached for the glass, and Peter narrowed his eyes at him. “Dude, you’re cut off!”

“Why because I can’t have a functioning adult relationship without fucking it up. I mean one night I had her man. She told me she loved me.” He put a hand over his heart, staring down at the liquor bottles in front of him. “Well, she didn’t tell me per-say, but I know she meant it. She always used to put her hand over my heart and I would...nevermind it doesn't matter," he rambled, shaking his head. “She was here in my arms. Right here. I told her everything, but now it’s like nothing ever happened. She hasn't said more than 20 words to me. And fuck, when she saw Bereet in my apartment, and then in the parking garage she told me how she felt and I...and I just stood there like a fucking idiot. How can I make this right, Buck? How?” Peter’s voice drifted off in defeat. He peeked up at Bucky, seeing him exchange a quick look with Nat before she left their office.

“I don't know what to tell you, Pete. I'm no better at relationships than you are," Bucky confessed, making a smirk appear on Peter's face. "How about you sleep off whatever this is, and then, I will go with you to pick up Mer," Bucky offered, moving Peter over to the couch.

“Good idea, man. You always know what to do. Thanks,” Peter nodded, getting situated on the couch. Bucky let out a breathy chuckle before he turned off the lights and walked out of their office.  

Peter stared up at the dark ceiling, realizing he wasn’t going to be able to fall asleep. No matter how piss drunk or hungover he got, you were all he could think about. He pulled his headphones from his pocket and plugged them into his phone. He tapped onto his podcasts app and tuned into the last episode he had left. He was always eager to listen to new episodes, so he stopped listening to them in order. Instead, he's been picking them at random hoping to hear your voice, but sometimes all he gets are Wanda's comments about you and the whiteboard. He didn't care what the podcast was about as long as he could listen to your voice. 

 

Lunch on podcast days was always short and quick, but since Pepper had a last minute meeting change, we needed to reschedule the podcast for tomorrow afternoon. For today, it meant you could get out of the office and have a nice long lunch break. You went down the street to order your favorite sandwich off the menu at Miek's Deli. Taking your usual spot by the window, you settled in and took your first bite as you scrolled through your phone. 

Someone standing across the table from you compels you to peek in their direction, and see familiar red hair. “Hey, YN. Fancy meeting you here.”

“I should say the same. I didn’t know you came across town for this little sandwich shop?”

“Mer told me this place makes the best sandwiches,” she grinned, looking around the room. 

“Yeah, she can never turn down a good sandwich,” you grinned, taking a bite of your own.

“Mind if I sit?”

“Go for it,” you said, through your bites. She pulled out her chair, muttering a quick thanks. “What’s the real reason you’re here?

“You cut right to the chase, don’t you?” She smirked at you. “I want to start by apologizing for the whole misunderstanding that led you to believe me and Peter…fondued so to speak." You nodded along as she continued. "I felt awful about it and wanted to track you down to explain, but Peter told me to leave it alone. I’m sorry it took so long for you to hear the truth."

“It's okay. Peter did tell me, and I’m not mad at you, it was bad communication on both our parts. Besides, it happened a long time ago plus he has Bereet now. He deserves to be happy with someone he cares about without me stepping in the way.” You shrugged, taking a sip out of your water bottle.

“Are you only saying that because you and Peter slept together?” she smirked. Your eyes widened at her question, causing the water to go down the wrong hole, forcing you into a coughing fit. “Guess that answers my question. I wouldn’t worry too much about it since things aren’t as serious with Bereet as you were led to believe.”

“How so?” You asked after you got your coughing under control. 

“They were never exclusive. It was more of a friends with benefits deal, and she ended up catching feelings for him, but he didn't reciprocate. Bereet thought she could change him, but she couldn’t because he's still hung up on the girl who got away.” You swallowed, staring hard at the table. “If it’s any consolation, Peter broke off whatever he had with Bereet yesterday.”

“Oh.” Your eyes flashed to hers in shock.

“I felt like I needed to tell you, given Peter’s track record. Who knows how long he would’ve waited until he told you the truth this time.” 

“Thanks, I appreciate your honesty,” you smiled as she nodded.

“Enough about my idiot friend, but how are you? How is work? Mer told me Potts of Honey might be pollinating to a new facility in New York.”

“It is, but keep it hush-hush. Not many people know yet not even the press,” you whispered.

“My lips are sealed.” Nat locked her mouth with a key and threw it over her shoulder.

“Mer has a hard time keeping her mouth shut sometimes,” you chuckled, shaking your head. “But, yes, New York was a fun adventure, and I might even receive a promotion because of it."

“Oh, are you going to be running the facility in New York?”

“There is a high possibility, but my boss is still figuring out what she wants to do.”

“Still that's exciting. Congratulations," she smiled, squeezing your forearm. 

“Thank you. We also got an intern this week, so we are showing her the ins and outs of everything,” you added. “How have you been? How's the studio? Mer mentioned something about you signing the high schooler from Queens.” Nat stared at you with wide eyes. “Let me guess she wasn't supposed to tell me.”

“No, it's not a secret anymore,” she snorted a chuckle. “Works keeping us busy but then again it always is.” Nat's eyes wandered to her sandwich, biting her lip as if she was debating something. “I know we don't know each other very well, but I get the feeling we would be great friends if we met under better circumstances.” She paused, and you nodded, setting your sandwich on the table. “Um, can I get your advice on something. You know woman to woman.”

“Of course, us ladies have to stick together.”

“I'm ah--” she cleared her throat, peeking over at you “--I'm pregnant.”

“Are you serious?” You asked with a warm smile on your face as Nat nodded. “That’s great news, Natasha. I'm happy for you and Bucky. Does he know yet?”

"No. You're the first person I told." Your eyes widened in surprise about to say something when she continued. "I don't know why I haven't told him yet. To be honest, we never really talked about having kids. Bucky always wanted a dog, so he finally got one, but a baby is going to be a whole different adventure. Looking back, I realize we should've gotten a dog sooner," she chuckled as her eyes traveled to the table. "Kids were never on my radar, but after seeing Bucky interact with Meredith, it opened my mind up to the opportunity of having kids. I don't know much about babies or how this all works--" she motioned to her stomach "--but I was wondering if I could use your mom brain to get advice on certain things?"

“Yes, anytime. I’m happy to help you,” you smiled, reaching over to give her hand a reassuring squeeze. “When were you planning on telling him?”

“Soon. Do you have any advice?” 

“Don’t wait seven years to tell him.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Who's happy for Nat and Bucky? I know I am! Hmmmm....with one part left do any of you have any theories about how it’s gonna end? Is the reader going to be escaping to New York and Peter is going to have to chase her down in an airport? Or is she gonna be staying in Malibu and all he has to do is knock on her door? Or will they not make up at all? Guess we will find out next week. As always, thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter 17

Peter stepped into Walkman Records feeling good. His head was clear instead of in the throbbing cloudiness it was the previous day. It felt like it was going to be a good day. Sure, it was almost noon, and he had to be at Mer’s parent-teacher conferences in an hour, but he was ready for it. 

“Good afternoon, Peter. You’re looking sober today,” Mants grinned as Peter collected his mail from his cubby. 

“Ahh yeah,” he nodded at her with a half smirk. Mantis was someone who wasn't afraid to state the obvious, and it's one of the reasons he hired her. He made his way to his office to find Bucky lifting Nat in the air, smiling up at her. “Oh joy, it must be nice being in a healthy relationship. Thanks for rubbing it in.”

“Do you want to tell him or should I?” Bucky asked, gazing at Nat. She nodded at him to continue with a contagious smile on her face. "We're pregnant.”

“Wow, that's ahhh...I don't...congratulations you two,” Peter stated with wide eyes and a half smile. “Didn’t even know you two were trying? I’m happy for you both.”

“Then, why don’t you look happy for us?”

“It’s just you two are moving on with your life, and I'm kind of stuck here.” Peter shrugged, motioning around the room. 

“Come on, man.” Bucky squeezed his shoulder. “We wouldn’t leave you behind…you were our first child.”

“I appreciate it,” Peter scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I am really happy for you two though. It will be nice to have another mascot running around here and wreaking havoc.” 

“Peter, I--” Nat stammered “--I went to see YN yesterday.”

“What? Why?” He dropped the mail on his desk, narrowing his eyes at her.

“Someone needed to tell her about Bereet, and given your track record, you would've waited another seven years,” Nat confessed, forcing Peter to scoff. 

“Why would you do that? I was gonna talk to her, and now you ruined it.”

“Before or after she moved to New York.”

“What...what are you talking about?”

“YN got a promotion to run the new Potts of Honey facility in New York. Why do you think she went there in the first place? To check out the sights?”

“No, no no.” Peter shook his head. “She would’ve told me this.” He stared hard at the floor in defeat. “Do you know when she leaves? Is she taking Mer with her?”

“Better question, why haven't you told her how you feel?"

“Tell her? She fucking hates me.”

“Are you sure it’s hate? Last I heard you said she loves you.” Peter grunted, shaking his head. “Are you going to let her getaway for the 3rd time, or are you going to chase her down?”

“Shut up.” Peter stood there with his eyes moving back and forth, clenching and unclenching his jaw, trying to figure out what to do. “Son of a bitch,” he cursed, running out of the room with his phone in his hand. 

“You had to go that far to say she was moving?”

“Lit a match under his ass, didn’t it.”

“It did,” Bucky smirked. "We’re going to make such great parents.”

 

Everything was set up for this week’s podcast. Pepper was ready to share the exciting news about the expansion of Potts of Honey and the new product lines hitting shelves within the next couple weeks. 

“Okay, Darcey, whatever you do. Do not let anyone in the room while we are recording because I hate editing these podcasts. It takes forever.” She nodded. “If you have any questions at all, use the whiteboard.”

“Got it, boss.”

“Great, I will be with you in here until...” Your phone ringing interrupted you. You peeked at the screen, seeing Peter’s name and hit ignore. “...until I get summoned in.” He was on his way to Mers parent-teacher conferences for the first time, and he was either worried or didn’t know what to do. 

“You got it, dude.”

“Good,” you replied as Pepper and Wanda walked in. “Ready ladies?”

“Born ready,” Wanda smirked, taking her usual chair in the booth.

“Are you sure about your decision?” Pepper asked you before walking into the booth.

“Yes, I am,” you smiled. “You're more than welcome to announce it over the podcast.”

“Excellent,” she pulled you into a tight hug.

“We will be recording in 5, 4, 3,” you said as you mouthed 2, 1, and pointed at Wanda. You pushed the button to signal the red on-air light above the door outside, so no one would disturb your production. 

 _“Hello, my wonderful listeners. Welcome back to another episode of Everyday’s a Monday. You are all in for a treat today! We are speaking with my boss, the lovely Pepper Potts hyphen Stark. She's speaking about the future of Potts and Honey and new products being released in the coming weeks. Later, YN will be joining us after not saying a word on here for about two episodes now. I have a conspiracy theory about how she might’ve paid our guests to not get her to come on the show. She's shaking her head no, but I know the truth,”_ she chuckled, getting Pepper crack a smile.  _“Turns out we also have our new intern, Darcey, helping out in the recording booth. This means YN has no choice but to join us today. But first, play that awesome intro.”_

You hit the button to signal the short upbeat catchy tune that plays at the beginning of each podcast. It was a little redundant, but it kept things fun. It also made Everyday’s a Monday stand out and be more recognizable like any opening to your favorite tv show. 

_“Pepper, it is great to have you back on the show.”_

_“It’s always fun coming on here and talking with you both.”_

_“The boss said both, so YN get your ass in here,”_  Wanda waved you in, and you stepped into the booth.

 _“You just had to say the magic word, didn’t you, Pepper?”_  You spoke into your mic and slid your headphones over your ears. You sat in your usual spot right across from Wanda with your back to the door while Pepper sat at the end of the rectangle table.

 _“Couldn’t help myself,”_  she laughed. 

 

Parent-teacher conferences went off without a hitch. He gave Mer a few fist bumps as the teacher praised her for how well she was doing in her classes. There was one teacher, who didn’t like how she spoke up in class, but Peter ignored him by nodding along and acting like he was listening. Mer had to nudge him a few times because he zoned out during this teacher's rant. Overall, the teachers love Mer and how open she is to learning. With it being conferences, Mer was able to leave school early for the day, and after telling Mer about his plan, he knew exactly what he needed to do. 

Peter walked through the rotating doors of the Potts of Honey headquarters building with Meredith in tow. It was crazy how many buildings were on the grounds, but he assumed they all had a specific purpose. They walked up to the welcome desk seeing three receptionists typing away on their computers.

“Hi, Peter and Meredith Quill here to see YN LN,” Peter said to the lady with blonde hair.

“I’m sorry, sir, but she is unavailable at the moment. I can take a message for her if you’d like.”

“Look--” he reads her nametag “--Sharon, it will take like ten minutes tops.” 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go up without her approval.” Peter nodded, thanking her for her help, and turned around to leave. 

“Hey, Quill.” Peter looked over, seeing Drax waving at him.

“Drax, hey, buddy. I haven’t seen you since you worked security at the Howling Commandos concert.”

“Wild night,” he chuckled.

“This is my daughter Meredith.” 

“I know her too well.” Drax held up his hand, giving her a high five. “What brings you here?”

“I need to get up to see YN.”

“Desk lady, I am taking Quill and his daughter on a tour. Give me two badges.” Sharon rolled her eyes, handing them over to him. “This way. Follow me.”

 

 _“What is this big exciting news you are bouncing up and down to share with us, Pepper?”_ Wanda questioned, wearing a huge smile on her face. She already knew the news, but she was good at faking enthusiasm when she needed to. 

 _“Yes, well, very recently I sent these two lovely ladies, YN and Wanda, to New York City to scope out properties, and I am happy to announce we will be opening up a new Potts of Honey facility in New York,”_  Pepper informed while you and Wanda cheered.  _“And I have more news. YN here will be taking over the Malibu division while I will be heading to New York division. But don’t worry, this podcast will still be airing an episode weekly.”_

 _“Whew, I thought I was out of a job for a second,”_  Wanda wheezed, wiping her forehead. 

 _“If only,”_ you chuckled, earning a glare from Wanda before everyone started laughing.

_“At least this way, YN has the option to be with Star-Lord.”_

_“I’m ignoring that for now,”_ you sighed.  _“What is going to be different about this facility?”_

_“It won’t be much different than the one here in Malibu. I pride myself on putting family first and jobs second. It has been my mentality from the beginning, and I don't plan on changing it.  I want to hire parents to be or parents who want to return to work after taking a leave to take care of their youngsters. I love working with these types of individuals because they have opinions and know what type of products parents want to see on the market.”_

_“I still love that mentality to this day,”_  Wanda confessed.  _“Like many times before, we did take some questions from the listeners, and we are going to be answering some right now. Many listeners might not have known about the new facility, but some did ponder it. Let's begin with….”_

 

Drax, Peter, and Meredith stepped off the elevator on the top floor of the building. It wasn’t a high building, but the twelfth floor still offered a great view of the grounds. Peter’s mind was running a mile a minute, and he still didn’t know what he was going to say to you. He had a plan, but it was only 12% of a plan which involved convincing you not to leave. He needed you in his life, and he hoped you still needed him, too.

“My dad is going to make a grand gesture to my mom,” Mer told Drax with a cheeky smile. 

“Really? Do you think he has a chance?”

“Will you two be quiet? I’m right here.” He glanced behind him as they continued to walk down the long hall. 

“We know. Why do you think we are talking so loud,” Drax stated, earning a giggle out of Meredith. 

“I was hoping my plan would work. I have been trying to parent trap them like Lindsay Lohan did in that movie before she kind of went crazy.”

“You are one smart girl, Mer, and I’m positive your plan will work,” Drax winked, making an excited smile appear on Mer’s face. “I mean, it worked for Lindsay Lohan, but then she went crazy. I still often wonder what happened to her twin.”

Mer looked at Peter with a confused expression, forcing him to let a raspy chuckle escaped him. “Drax, she doesn’t have a--” Drax stared at him with an intense glare forcing Peter to bite his tongue “--never mind.” Peter shook his head, seeing a door at the end of the hallway with an ON-AIR sign shining above it. “Is this the right door?” Drax nodded as Peter knocked on the door.

“Can I help you security guy, adorable little girl, and the other dude?” The young lady asked, eyeing each of them over as she opened the door.

“Quill here needs to speak to his woman.” Drax patted him on one of his shoulders. 

“Dude. Ow.”

“Sorry, but you can’t come in. They’re recording an episode, and YN hates editing, so it’s better if left undisturbed, okay? Buh-bye, thank you, come back later.”

“Wait!” Peter grabbed the door to keep it from closing. “It’s okay; I’m Star-lord.”

“Who?”

“Come on, the amazing mystery dude that YN talks about on this podcast. YN’s ex, who she shares a daughter with.” 

“Hence this small human beside us,” Drax informed, motioning to a grinning Mer beside him. 

“This is my first time listening to this podcast, so I have no idea who you are. I’m only here for college credit, so no, you’re not coming in.”

“Okay fine, how about I give you.” Peter pulls out his wallet, digging around in it. “Fifty bucks?”

“Well if I get fired over this, I will be out at least $350 for my college credit, so technically I won’t be out anything if you reimbursed me in full.”

Peter sighed, looking unamused but gave in to her demands. He dug through his wallet once more and handed her the rest of the money. 

“Come on in fellas.” 

 

 _“Next question is for Wanda and YN,”_ Pepper announced, reading the question to herself before reading it aloud.  _“Oh, this is a good one. What is something you regret from your past and why?”_

 _“Oh, this one is tough,”_ Wanda added, tapping her finger to her chin.  _“I would say I regret not traveling more when I was younger since I didn’t have many responsibilities. Now I am kind of tied down, but I still love my life and wouldn’t change a thing. Who asked this question?”_

 _“Oh right, let’s see.”_ Pepper’s eyes scanned the page.  _“Peter Quill.”_

Your head snapped in Pepper’s direction, but something moving behind you caught the attention of both your co-hosts; Wanda’s mouth dropped open, and Pepper's eyebrows shot up her forehead. You narrowed your eyes at them before turning around to find Peter Quill. Behind him, Darcey held up the whiteboard saying ‘Incoming, Star-Crunch?'

 _“Peter, what are you...what are you doing here? You’re not allowed to be in here. We’re in the middle of an episode.”_ You stood up, taking your headset off and setting them around your neck. 

“Do you want to know what I regret from my past?” 

 _“No, not right now, Peter. Can we do this later? I’m working.”_  You put your hands on his chest to try and push him out of the room, but he grabbed your forearms, stopping you. You gazed into his eyes, seeing something you haven’t seen since the night you slept with him. 

 _“Nat told me,”_  he confessed. “Please don’t move to New York.” You try to say something, but he keeps talking.  _“You’re in my life again, and I don’t want you to go. I wish things in the past would’ve worked out differently. If I wasn’t such a coward, maybe they would’ve, but this time I’m not gonna let you walk out on me.”_

_“Peter, I’m not...”_

_“I’m doing what I should have done a long time ago. Please just let me talk for once,”_ he interrupted, forcing you to snap your mouth shut. “ _When I got the call about you being in an accident, right then I knew I didn’t want to lose you again. I didn’t want to lose you for real. Deep down, I always thought we would find each other again,”_  he confessed, taking your hands into his.  _“Then, I found out about Meredith. The amazing sweet little girl who showed me what I was missing out on for the last 7 years.”_ Peter glanced behind him, and you peeked around him to see Mer wearing a toothy grin on her face. She gave him a thumbs up, and you didn’t miss the lopsided smirk spreading across Peter's face as he turned back to you.

 _“After you woke up, everything happened so fast. We were getting along and rocking this co-parenting thing most parents seem to struggle with. Then, I told you I never cheated, you kissed me, and we slept together. The next day, you told me it was all a mistake, but we both know that wasn’t true,”_  he murmured, staring into your eyes.  _“I hate how I hurt you all over again. We both know I have horrible timing when it comes to fixing my wrongs, but I can’t let another day go by without telling you how I feel. You were the one for me. You still are.”_ Your eyes widened at his confession.  _“Where will this big grand gesture leave us? I don’t know._

 _What I do hope for is that you will give me a chance to redeem myself. I want to be there for you and Mer. I want to watch her grow up into an incredible young woman, like you, with you by my side. I want to help you protect her from assholes who will break her heart, but still encourage her to find love and happiness. Even in times when you thought you were never going to get another chance. But before you know it you’re laying your heart on the line, hoping you’re not making a complete ass of yourself,"_ he cleared his throat.  _“I regret many decisions in my life, but the one thing I regret most was not chasing after you the day you walked away from me. This time, I'm going to fight for you to stay because...well, I guess what I’m trying to say here is that I don’t think I ever stop loving you.”_

Pepper and Wanda gasped behind you.  _“Ladies and gents, this is Wanda speaking in a hushed tone. If you haven’t made the connection thus far, Peter Quill is Star-Lord aka Star-Lord is Peter Quill, just to clarify things.”_ You shook your head, staring at Peter’s chest as she narrated the moment through your headphones.

You squeezed his hands as you let go of one of his and placed it over his heart. His soft gaze sent a flutter to your heart and a blush to your cheeks.  _“Peter, I’m not going anywhere. Pepper is the one moving to New York while I’m taking things over here. Nat obviously said what she needed to to get you to barge in here,”_  you added, making him raise his eyebrows at the realization.

_“Guess I will have to thank her later.”_

_“But you’re right about one thing. What happened between us wasn’t a mistake, but I still couldn’t help but think I was the other woman.”_ You lowered your head, letting out a deep breath. He put his hand under your chin and lifted it to stare into your eyes.

 _“You are the only woman,”_ Peter replied, making you crack a small smile.

 _“My biggest regret was not telling you about Meredith sooner. I guess it was my own selfish pride that I wanted to prove to myself that I didn’t need you in my life. Truth is, I did, and so did Mer. I didn’t want to see it for myself, but watching you two together warms my heart. I wish I could say I fell out of love with you, but I never did.”_ You slid your hand from his heart to cup his cheek, and Peter leaned into your touch. He bit down on his bottom lip as he leaned in closer to you feeling his breath become shaky against your lips. He gazed into your eyes before his lips collided with yours.

 _“Woooo! Their smacking lips now! Get it, girl,”_ Wanda hollered from her chair as Pepper joined in with her. 

_“Bought fricken time, am I right, Mer?”_

_“Yes, you are Auntie Wanda,”_ Mer replied through your headphones. You didn’t even notice her sneak pass you and Peter. 

 _“Guess all those parent trapping tricks I taught you paid off,”_ Wanda added, giving Mer a high-five. You pulled away from Peter, resting your forehead against his smiling.  _“I bet they’re going to get married, now. Would you like that, Mer?”_

 _“Yes, I would love it,”_  she gushed beside Wanda.

 _“Okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, you two.”_  You glared at them, feeling Peter's chest vibrate from a soft chuckle.  _“We should at least go out on a not a date date first.”_

 _“Hear that folks, it’s happening. It’s like their first not a date date all over again. Did I predict this or what?”_ Wanda grinned into her headset.

You looked back at Peter as he shot you a quick wink and your favorite boyish smile.  It was the same little sexy smile that drove you crazy all those years ago. You smiled at him, resting your forehead on his chest. He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you closer to him. You heard him let out a deep breath, and in your heart, you knew he was always the one for you, and like many great loves, you fell in love with your best friend. 

 _“How about we close out this episode,”_ Pepper offered.

 _“Thanks for the assist, Pepper. Come on, Twig. Let's get out of here.”_ Peter loosened his grip on you and held out his hand for Mer. She grinned, rushing towards him, and Peter leaned down and scooped her up in his arms. You couldn’t stop the heartfelt smile from appearing on your face. Peter grabbed hold of your hand with his other hand as he leaned over to kiss your forehead. You squeezed your eyes shut, feeling the warmth spread all over your body. When you opened your eyes, you found Peter giving Mer a quick kiss on the forehead, and without saying a word, you knew exactly what he meant. 

 _“Awww, what a cute family,”_ Wanda commented, snapping a photo with her phone.  _“This picture is going on our Instagram page, so be on the lookout listeners.”_

 _“And I thought Tony had terrible timing,”_  Pepper declared with a knowing grin.

 _“I don’t think we have any more to discuss on this week’s episode, but wasn’t it a great one.  We found out Potts of Honey is expanding, Star-Lord’s real identity is none other than Walkman Records owner Peter Quill, and Pepper Potts is going to be leaving us. It’s a sad yet happy day. I’m only hoping this whole episode recorded everything and that YN doesn’t edit anything out, but let’s be real folks she never edits,”_  Wanda chuckled. _“Don’t forget to tip your waiters and waitresses. And as always, don’t forget to subscribe.”_  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all folks. How bout that ending though? The podcast restarted their relationship, so I thought ending with one would be neat. It also might've felt rushed towards the end, but I kind of liked how it turned out. Like, rushing to someone you love in an airport or wherever else you might be. Cleshay, but the rush of excitement at the same time...haha. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I liked writing it. Glad you stuck with me through the end. Comments are always welcome and as always thanks for reading!


End file.
